n 


BV  2087  .H64 
Holt,  Edwin. 
Anecdotes  of  Christian 
missions 


ANECDOTES 


CHRISTIAJV     MISSIONS 


COMPILED,     AT     THE      EEQUEST      OF      THE     EXECUTIVE 

COMMITTEE      OF      THE      SOUTHERN     BOARD    OF 

FOREIGN    MISSIONS, 


BY    REV.    EDWIN    HOLT, 

LATE   SECRETARY   OF   THE   BOARD 


BOSTON 


PUBLISHED  BY  CROCKER  &  BREWSTER, 

47,   Washington  Street. 

NEW    YORK:— LEAVITT,   LORD,    AND    CO., 

180,  Broadway. 

1837. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  tlie  year  183G, 

BY  EDWIN  HOLT, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


THIS     VOLUME 
II 

3DeltfcateTJ   to   ttje 
SOUTHERN     CHURCHES, 

WHOSE 

KNOWLEDGE  AND  LOVE  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  CAUSE 


DESIGNED  TO  PROMOTE. 


PREFACE 


Having  been  honored  with  the  appointment 
of  Secretary  to  the  Southern  Board  of  Mis- 
sions, the  compiler  sought  to  qualify  himself 
for  the  station  by  searching  the  records  of  past 
years,  in  quest  of  missionary  intelligence.  He 
was  richly  rewarded  for  this  toil  by  the  diver- 
sified facts  that  were  found  to  illustrate,  in  am- 
ple profusion,  the  various  features  of  the  mis- 
sionary enterprize.  He  was  not  unwilling  to 
receive  the  suggestion  of  throwing  together  in 
this  manner  a  body  of  anecdotes  or  illustrations 
of  Christian  missions. 

The  following  statements  are  not  vague  and 
unauthenticated  stories,  that  have  acquired 
bulk  and  embellishment  in  passing  from  hand 
to  hand,  till  they  are  fitted  only  to  amaze  the 
credulous.  They  are  traced  in  all  instances 
to  a  respectable  source,  and  are  made  public 
as  facts  deserving  entire  confidence. 

It  is  believed  that  these  narratives  may  cor- 
rect some  of  the  mistaken  impressions  which, 
unhappily,  retard  the  progress  of  the  missiona- 


VI  PREFACE. 

ry  cause.  "Nothing  but  powder  and  ball," 
said  an  European  officer  "can  civilize  these 
savages."  The  tribes  to  which  he  referred 
have  since  derived  from  the  labors  of  mission- 
aries the  improvements  of  civilization  as  well 
as  the  consolations  of  Christianity.  Such  facts 
-  are  the  best  refutation  of  the  charge  that  mis- 
sions can  never  be  useful.  And  there  are  too 
many  who  view  the  effort  to  evangelize  the  na- 
tions only  as  a  splendid  crusade,  beheld  only 
in  the  bright  haze  of  bewildering  romance. 
The  actual  state  of  the  enterprise  is  no  more 
seen  by  them  than  the  desired  stream  is  by  the 
parched  traveller,  whom  the  mirage  of  the 
desert  deludes. 

The  ensuing  narratives  will  aid  the  benevo- 
lent visionary  to  form  juster  conceptions  of  the 
work  of  the  world's  conversion,  by  holding  up 
to  his  view  some  of  the  unromantic  perils  and 
privations  incident  to  a  life  of  missionary  toil 
These  reahties  may  serve  to  touch  and  des- 
troy, by  a  talismanic  spell,  the  beauteous  but 
airy  structures  of  a  busy  imagination. 

The  christian  may  find  in  the  following 
statements,  matter  of  personal  interest  aside 
from  their  subserviency  to  the  formation  of  the 
spirit  of  missions.    By  him,  specimens  of  spirit- 


PREFACE.  Vll 

ual  workmanship  of  fine  finish,  and  of  endur- 
ing value,  must  be  prized  as  much  as  frag- 
ments of  rare  sculpture,  or  master  pieces  in 
painting  are,  by  the  artist.  The  annals  of  mis- 
sions furnish  the  christian  with  admirable 
models  among  pagan  converts,  unblessed  with 
the  high  culture  which  we  enjoy,  are  to  be 
found  examples  of  christian  excellence  and 
zeal  that  should  put  us  to  the  blush. 

While  it  is  the  desire  of  the  compiler  to  sub- 
serve the  purposes  heretofore  specified,  it  has 
been  his  chief  aim  to  furnish  materials  that 
may  aid  the  formation  of  a  missionary  spirit,' 
among  churches  which,  in  consequence  of 
their  destitution,  or  their  remoteness  from  the 
central  points  of  religious  intelligence,  are  com- 
paratively unacquainted  with  the  progress  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  It  has  been  his  lot 
to  plead  the  cause  of  missions  among  church- 
es in  this  situation,  and  he  has  felt  at  every 
step  the  need  of  such  a  diffusion  of  missionary 
intelligence,  as  it  is  the  chief  design  of  this 
volume  to  promote.  He  has  found  the  at 
tempt  to  arouse  missionary  zeal,  where  infor- 
mation has  not  been  circulated,  very  much 
like  the  attempt  to  build  up  a  cheering  fire 
without  fuel:  and  it  was  his  belief  that  a  body 


Vm  PREFACE. 

of  Statements  like  the  following  might  be  suc- 
cessfully used  to  impart  to  the  less  favored 
portions  of  the  christian  community,  some  ad- 
equate conceptions  of  the  need,  the  practi- 
cability and  the  immense  importance  of  the 
missionary  enterprize.  These  narrations  are 
grouped  together  under  distinct  heads,  un- 
encumbered with  details  of  mere  local  and 
temporary  interest.  They  have  been  gleaned 
from  uninviting  records  which  all  have  not  the 
disposition,  and  many  have  not  the  leisure  to 
examine. 

It  was  the  earnest  desire  of  the  compiler,  to 
aid  by  this  means  in  imparting  additional  inter- 
est to  the  monthly  concert  of  prayer,  and  to 
other  missionary  meetings.  Churches  could 
be  induced  to  observe  the  monthly  concert  if 
they  were  furnished  with  missionary  intelli- 
gence, to  awaken  interest  in  the  exercises  of 
that  occasion.  The  following  narratives  might 
be  employed  for  the  purpose.  These  state- 
ments might  be  read  in  regular  order  at  such 
meetings  by  any  layman,  in  the  absence  of  a 
minister,  and  thus  one  of  the  chief  objections 
to  the  observance  of  the  monthly  concert  in  the 
more  destitute  churches  would  be  obviated. 
Portsmouth^  Jan.  1837. 


THSOLOGIG::iLi' 


-^-r 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    NEED    OF    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 

SECTION   1.      The  inexcusableness  of  the  heathen. 

SulTerings  of  a   Hindoo   devotee,  -  -  -  13 

Pagan  inhumanity  in  India,     -  -  -  -  -  15 

Inhuman  obduracy  of  the  heathen,        -  -  -  16 

Hindoo  revenge,     -------  17 

Crimes  of  an  Armenian  Convent,  -  -  -  18 

Human  victims  offered  to  sharks,     -  -  -  -  20 

'Affecting  scene  in  India,     -   •      -  -  -  -  21 

Distress  of  a  mother,       -  -  -  -  -  -  21 

The  heathen  are  without  natural  affection,     -  -  22 

Infanticide  in  China,       ------  24 

Example  of  a  revengeful  spirit,     -  -  -  -  24    ' 

Cruelty  towards  the  infirm  among  the  South  Sea  island- 
ers, --------  25 

A  mother  persuaded  to  murder  her  only  son,     -  -  26 

A  boy  murdered  by  his  father,     -  -  -  -  27 

Human  sacrifices  in  Africa,     -  -  -  -  -  28.^ 

Human  sacrifices  at  the   South   Sea   Islands,  -  29 

Human  sacrifices  in  ancient  Britain,  -  -  -  29  -< 

Three  boys  fattened  for  slaughter,        -  .         -  31 


CONTEHTS. 


SECTION  2.      The  worthlessness  of  pagan  rites  and  belief. 

Where  shall  I  go  last  of  all,    -         -         -         -         -  33 

Worship  of  devils,       - 34 

The  heathen  have  no  good  God,       -  -         .         -  34 

Idolaters  can  worship   any  thing,  .         .         -  35 

Prayer  mills  of  Tartary,  -  -  -  -  -  36 

The  heathen  instructed  in  fatal  errors  by  Europeans,  37 

A  pagan  gratified  in  his  wishes  and  still  unhappy,     -  38 

Superstition  of  the  Chinese,  -  -         -         -  39 

Punishment  of  a  planet,  -  -         -         -         -  40 

Hindoo  views  of  caste,         -  .         ...  41 

SECTION  3.      The  heathen  possess  a  knowledge  of  duty 
that  leaves  them  without  excuse. 

Admissions  of  a  Greenlander,       -         -         -         -  43 

Singular  admission  of  guilt,      -  -  -  -  -  45 

Musings  of  an  Indian,  -----  46 

Resistance  to  the  light  of  truth  among  pagans,  -  46 

The  law  of  God  openly  rejected  by  pagans,  -  47 

Remorse  of  an  Indian,     ------  48 

The  folly  of  pagan  worship  admitted,   -         .         .  49 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    SUCCESSFUL    PROSECUTION    OF    MISSIONS, 

SECTION   1.      The  readiness  of  the  unevangelized  to  re- 
ceive  christian  instruction. 

Efforts   of  the   Mongolians   to    obtain    the  Christian 
Scriptures, 50 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Thirty  seven  gods  renounced  for  One,         -         •  54 

A  Greenland  family,       ------  54 

Eagerness   of  South   Sea  islanders  to  obtain  the 

Scriptures,  -------55 

Attachment  of  an  African  to  the  word  of  God,     -  56 
Renunciation    of  idolatry   at   the    Sandwich   islands 

before  the  arrival  of  missionaries,  ...  57 
Success  of  missionary  labors    at  the  same  islands  in 

two  years,     -------  59 

Subsequent  success   at  the   same  islands,          -          -  61 
Distribution  of  Matthew's  Gospel  in   Ceylon,    result- 
ing in  the  conversion  of  a  native  priest,  and  his  ad- 
mission to  the  Christian  ministry,     -          -          -  61 
Success  of  missionary  labors  in  Ceylon,            -         -  62 
Results  of  the  donation  of  a  New  Testament  in  a 

village  in  India,         ------  63 

Decline  of  idolatry  in  India,        ....  65 

Reflections  of  a  South  African,       -         -         -         -  66 

Tuahine,  a  distressed  inquirer,   -          -          -          .  67 

Thrilling  appeal  from  the  Burman  mission,       -          -  68 
Happy  influence  of  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament 

in  India,    --------70 

Extensive  interest  awakened  among  Hindoos  near 

Delhi,  by  a  few  copies  of  the  New  Testament,      -  71 

SECTION  2.      The  more  indirect  benefits  of  missions. 

The  rights  of  a  poor  man  protected   from    royal 

oppression,        -------75 

A   discourse   on   theft   leads  to  the   restoration  of 

pilfered  property, 76 

Christianity   imparts    a  thirst   for   instruction  to 

the  islanders  of  the  Pacific  ocean,       -  -  -       78 

Errors  in  pagan  astronomy  corrected  in  Ceylon,  78 


XU  CONTENTS. 

Opposition  disarmed  by  christian  mildness,     -         -  80 

A  Mohammedan  shaken  in  his  belief,         -         -  82 

An  African  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  Scriptures,  83 
A   Chinese    convinced   of  the   erroneousness   of 

idolatry, 85 

A  company  of  Africans  marching-  out  to  pray,  -  86 
The   Ceylonese    delivering'    to    a    missionary    their 

badges  of  idolatry, 87 

Family  w^orship  in  Ceylon,     -----  88 

Missions  diminish  crime,             -          .          -          -  89 

A  heathen  temple  displaced  by  a  christian  church,  90 
Observance    of  the   Sabbath   at   the   South  sea 

islands,     -.-.-.--91 

Improved  condition  of  the  South  Sea  islanders,  -  92 


SECTION  3.     Remarkable 


conversions. 


A  priest  of  Buddhu,            -----  94 

A  Tahitian,  powerfully  affected  by  a  verse  in 

the  Gospel  of  John,         -         -         .                   -  96 
A  native  priest  at  one   of  the  South  Sea  isl- 
ands,    --------  97 

Conversion  and  martyrdom  of  a  Turk,              -         -  98 

Kaiarnack,         ---..--  104 

Africaner,    ------..  105 

Partobee, 107 

Abdallah  and  Sabat, 109 

Tschoop,            - 113 

A  Hindoo  devotee,        ---...  115 

A  heathen  philosopher  at  Nice,           -         -         .  116 

Mirza  Mahomed  Ali,     ------  Hg 

The  Mohammedan  merchant,      -         .         -         .  123 

Cupido, 124 

A  native  priest  of  Ceylon,         -         .         -         ,  125 

Anundo, 128 


CONTENTS. 


SECTION   4.      Scriptural  knowledge,  Christian  principles , 
and  death-bed  sayings  of  converted  heathen. 

An  Indian's  views  of  the  way  of  salvation,          -  131 

Illustrations  of  Scriptural  truths  by  a   Greenlander,  132 

Kapiolani's    remarks,          .          .          -          -          .  134 

Puaa's    inquiries,            ...--.  136 

A  Hindoo  female  happy  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  138 

Firmness  of  converts  in  Madagascar,      ...  139 

A  North  American  Indian  softened  by  the  Gospel,  142 
Implements  of  war  converted  to  peaceful  and  sacred 

purposes,            .......  142 

Two  praying  natives  saved  from  drowning,          -  144 
Tlie  spirit  of  revenge  overcome  by  christian  prin- 
ciple,       145 

Benevolent  sympathy  of  converted  Greenlanders,     -  148 

Remarks  of  a   dying   Hottentot,          ...  149 

Last  sayings  of  Maoae,           .          _         -         -         .  151 

Death  of  a  Hindoo  convert,         ....  152 

Death  bed  expressions  of  two  converted  islanders,  -  153 

The   dying   Tartar   and   his  son,          ...  153 

Peaceful  death  of  Brindelbund,       -         -         -         -  154 

Pompey,             ...----  155 

Triumphant  death  of  a  converted  Brahmin,     -         -  156 

The  Siberian  leper  on  his  death  bed,            -         -  157 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    PRIVATIONS     AND    PERILS    OF    MISSIONARIES. 

A  missionary  perplexed  but  not  in  despair,     -  .     159 

Hardships  of  the  first  missionaries   at  the  South 
Sea  islands,      ...  -         -         -     160 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

Arraignment  of  a  missionary  at  Ava,  -         -  161 

Dr.  Judson's   imprisonment,  ....  163 

The  mission   house   at   Lahaina  assailed  by  Eng- 
lish seamen,       -  ....  -  166 

Assault  upon  the  missionaries  at  Oahu  by  Amer- 
ican seamen,     .......  168 

111  treatment  of  Moravian  missionaries  in  Greenland,  169 
Narrow  escape  of  a   Moravian  missionary  in  South 

America,        --.--..  171 

Design  against  the  life  of  a  Moravian  Bishop,         -  173 

Exposure  and    courage   of  Francis   Xavier,  -  174 

Another  instance  of  Xavier's  perils,        ...  176 

A  missionary  attacked  by  a  tiger,       ...  178 

Narrow  escape  of  Count  Zinzendorf,       ...  179 

Persecution  of  Catholic  missionaries  in  China,     -  180 

A  missionary  slain  in  the  eighth  century,  -         .  181 

A  Catholic  missionary  slain  at  his  post,       -  -  182 

Martyrdom  of  a  Catholic  missionary  in  Japan,         -  183 

A  mission   family  burned   alive,  ...  184 

Shipwreck   of  a  numerous  mission  family,  and  loss 

of  lives,  .-...--  186 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    HlNDERANCES    TO    THE    SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

SECTION   1.      The  example  and  influence  of  nominal 
Christians. 

Remark  of  a  Hindoo  dancing  girl,  -  -         _     188 

Remark  of  a   Hindoo  merchant,  ...         igg 

Remark  of  a  North  American  Indian,     -         -         .     189 


COWTKNTS. 


Intelligent  Chinese   object  to  European  Idolatry,         190 
Strong- prejudices  of  a  Siberian,     -  -  -  -     192 

Christianity  shut  out  of  a  pagan  village  by  an  Eu- 
ropean,    --.-..- 


182 


SECTION  2.     Apathy  and  groundless  fears  of  the  friends 
of  Christ. 

Reproof  from  a  Nair,  .  -  -  .  -  193 
The  fears  of  an  Ecclesiastical  body  in  England,  -  193 
Origin  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  -  194 
Origin  of  the  English  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  -  197 
Origin  of  the  American  Board  of  C.  F.  M.  -  199 
The  former  apathy  of  Christians  reproved  by  con- 
verted Hottentots, 200 

SECTION    3.     Prejudices  and   opposition  encountered  by 
converts. 

Prejudices  of  the  South  Sea  islanders,    -         -         -  202 

A  converted  pagan  offered  up  as  a  human  sacrifice,  203 

Conspiracy  to  massacre  the  praying  people  of  Tahiti,  205 
An  assembly  of  worshipping  converts   attacked  by 

armed  pagans,            ..--..  206 

Opposition  to  missionaries  in  Palestine,       -          -  208 

Papal  opposition   to  missionary   efforts,           -          -  209 

Obstacles  to  the  elevation  of  the  female  sex  in  India,  211 
Inveterate  opposition   to   the  instruction  of  Hindoo 

females,         .......  212 

Difficulties  attending  the  renunciation  of  caste,         -  213 
Opposition  encountered  by  a  Hindoo  convert,      -  215 
Persecution  of  Apavas   a   converted  Hindoo  at  Ma- 
dras,    - 219 

Firmness  of  a  Hindoo  woman  under  persecution,     -  220 

Martyrdom  of  a  Turkish  woman,          -          -          -  221 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

Persecution  of  converts  in  Japan,  _         .         .     222 

Edict  of  the  Chinese  Emperor  against  Christianity, 

in  1812, -     224 

The  principal  man   of  a  pagan  village  put  to  death 

for  favoring  Christianity,    -         .         .         -         .     225 


CHAPTER  V. 

MISSIONARY     ZEAL. 

Zeal  of  Gordon  Hall, 227 

Zeal  of  Students  at  Basle,          -         -         -         -  228 
Commencement  of  the   Moravian  Mission  in  Green- 
land,          -  229 

Zeal  of  Jens  Haven, 230 

Early  struggles  of  Daniel  Schlatter,        -         -         -  230 
The  anxiety  of  Dr.  Milne  in  early  life  to  become  a 

Missionary,        .------  233 

Dr.  Philips, 234 

Liefuvyn,     - 235 

Christianity  introduced  among  the  Bulgarians  by  the 

zeal  of  a  princess,               -         -         _         .         .  236 

The  plague  braved  by  Catholic  Missionaries,       -  237 

Zeal  of  Jesuits,    -------  239 

Missionary  zeal  of  a  poor  woman,       -         -         .  240 

Zeal  ofXavier, 241 

Henry  Palmer,  or  the  Missionary  and  the  soldier,  242 

Xavier's  appeal  to  christians  in  Europe,          -         -  244 

Xavier's  zeal  not  daunted  by  personal  insults,      -  245 

Robert  Boyle's  interest  in  missions,        ...  246 

Zeal  of  Elliot, 247 

Idolaters  reproved  by  a  child,         -         -                 -  248 


CONTENTS.  XVU 

A  Hindoo  converted   by  the   instruction  of  an  Eng- 
lish child, 249 

Conscientious  zeal  of  converted  pagans,       -          -  251 

A  poor  blind  girl,           ......  252 

Zeal  of  a  young  lady,        ....         -  253 

Zeal  of  a  Siberian   convert,           ...         -  254 

A  servant  employs   her  wages   to  build  a  chapel,  255 

A  poor  woman  gives   a   farthing  a  day  for  missions,  256 

A  poor  woman  in  Scotland,         ....  257 

The  mother  of  a  missionary,           -          -          -          -  258 

Remark  of  Dr.  Philip's, 259 

The  mother  of  Lyman,            .....  260 

A  widow  and  her  two  sons,         ....  262 


CHAPTER  VI. 

REFLEX    INFLUENCE    OF    MISSIONS. 

Property  saved  by  a  missionary  box,     ...     264 
Loss  of  a  vessel  that  might  have  been  saved  by  the 

influence  of  missionaries,  -----  266 
Gericke's  humane  efforts  in  behalf  of  Europeans  in 

India,  .-....-.  268 
A  lady  in  India  guided  to  Christ  by  missionaries,  269 
Irreligion  reproved  by  a  converted  pagan,      -  -     270 

A  stranger  impressed  by  the  worship  of  converted 

natives,    ---.-..-     271 
A  young  nobleman  converted  in  consequence  of  at- 
tending a  meeting  of  a  Bible  society,  -  -     272 
Attendance   at    the    monthly   concert  leads   to    the 

conversion  of  the  head  of  a  family,     -  -  -     273 


XVin  CONTENTS. 

Andrew  Fuller  and   his    church  rewarded   for   their 

interest   in  missions,  .  .  .  .  .     274 

Happy  influence  of  a    participation   in  the  work  of 

missions  upon  the  Baptist  churches  in  England,  -  275 
The  spirit  of  missions  can  destroy  sectarian  feeling  276 
A  donation  richly  refunded,  -  _  -  .  278 
An  English  seaman  converted  at  Otaheite,  -  280 
Foreign  missions  give  an  impulse  to  benevolent  op- 
erations in  England, 280 

Missionary  zeal  in  a  Theological  Seminary  elevates 

the  standard  of  Ministerial  character,        -  -         281 

The  embarkation    of  a    missionary    leads    a   pious 

young  man  to  devote  himself  to  the  ministry,    -         281 
Influence  of  the  embarkation  of  missionaries  upon  an 

objecting  spectator,  _         -  -         282 


CHAPTER    I. 
THE  NEED   OF  CHRISTIAN   MISSIONS, 


■  They  read  no  promise  that  inspires  belief; 
They  seek  no  God  that  pities  their  complaints  j 
They  find  no  balm  that  gives  the  heart  relief; 
They  know  no  fountain  when  the  spirit  faints. 
O,  could  I  picture  out  the  full  effect 
Of  that  soul  withering  power,  Idolatry, 
I  'd  write  a  page,  which  whoso  dar'd  to  read, 
His  eye.  instead  of  tears,  in  crimson  drops  would  bleed. 


SECTION   I. 
The  Incxcusablencss  of  the  Heathen. 

SUFFERINGS    OF   A   HINDOO    DEVOTEE. 

A  missionary  thus  describes  a  singular  case 
of  self-torture.  The  devotee  was  in  the  act  of 
measuring  his  way  to  Juggernaut  by  his  own 
body.  He  never  rose  upon  his  feet  in  travelling. 
When  on  his  knees,  he  reached  his  hands  for- 
ward to  the  ground,  and  thus  drew   his  body 


14  THE    NEED    OF 

onward.  Every  time  he  drew  himself  along 
thus,  he  beat  his  forehead  against  the  ground 
three  times,  looking  towards  the  temple  which 
was  now  in  sight. 

"  When  I  got  sufficiently  near,"  said  the  mis- 
sionary, '*  I  called  to  him  ;  but  he  did  not  ap- 
pear to  hear  what  I  said,  and  continued  on  his 
way  without  paying  the  least  attention.  I  there- 
fore came  up,  and  succeeded  in  stopping  him  ; 
a  deep  melancholy  sat  visible  upon  his  counte- 
nance, his  lips  moving  in  prayer  to  his  god  in  a 
low  grumbling  tone  of  voice.  When  I  had  sur- 
veyed him  a  few  moments,  he  gave  over  repeat- 
ing, and  I  began  to  converse  with  him  as  well 
as  I  was  able.  I  first  inquired  how  far  he  had 
come  in  that  manner  ?  He  answered  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles.  How  long  have  you  been 
on  the  way?  About  eight  months.  He  ap- 
peared about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  was 
so  emaciated  by  his  austerities  that  his  voice 
was  nearly  gone  :  I  could  but  just  understand 
him.  I  asked  him  what  he  expected  from  this 
visit  to  Juggernaut  ?  I  was  told  that  he  ex- 
pected almost  every  thing,  particularly  that 
hereby  he  should  get  rid  of  his  sins.  I  then 
told  him  about  Jesus  Christ  dying  for  his  sins, 
and  that  if  he  would  only  believe  on  Christ,  he 
would  immediately  find  the  blessings  he  sought. 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  15 

He  seemed  to  hear  with  some  attention  and  sur- 
prise. By  this  time  a  number  of  wicked  look- 
ing Brahmins,  from  a  neighboring  temple,  were 
gathered  around  us,  and  began  to  encourage 
him  to  proceed." 

Sutton's  Narrative  of  the  Orissa  Mission,  p.  210, 


PAGAN    INHUMANITY   IN   INDIA. 

Mr.  Statham,  missionary  at  Howrah,  near 
Calcutta,  gave  the  following  account  of  his  ef- 
forts to  persuade  the  bystanders  to  aid  in  extin- 
guishing a  destructive  fire.  His  proposals  only 
called  forth  such  answers  as  these.  **  My  house 
is  not  on  fire." — "  Who  will  give  me  pay?" — 
*'  What  power  have  I  over  fire  ?" — "  To  be  burnt 
will  be  worse  than  to  see  fire."  They  remained 
utterly  inactive,  and  in  the  mean  time  the  flames 
spread,  until  nearly  half  of  the  village  was  con- 
sumed. From  one  of  the  huts  that  had  just 
taken  fire,  piercing  cries  of  distress  were  heard. 
They  came  from  a  bed-ridden  old  woman,  the 
occupant  of  that  house.  The  missionary  urged 
the  natives  to  save  her  from  death.  The  replies 
he  received  were — "  She  is  not  my  mother." 
*'She  is  too  old  to  gain  salt." — '*Her  time  is 
come." — **  W^e  shall  see  a  suttee."     He  offered 


16  THE    NEED    OF 

them  money,  if  they  would  go  in  with  him  to  the 
house  and  rescue  the  woman.  No  sooner  was 
the  name  of  rupees  heard,  than  the  bystanders 
rushed  forward  in  such  numbers,  that  they  could 
not  all  touch  the  cot  on  which  the  invalid  lay. 
None,  however,  but  those  of  the  lower  caste 
dared,  even  for  lucre's  sake,  to  carry  a  sick  per- 
son. The  Brahmins  reprobated  the  conduct  of 
some  Lascars  from  the  ships,  who,  at  the  urgent 
request  of  the  missionary,  aided  in  extinguish- 
ing the  flames.  The  aged  woman  was  saved 
from  fire,  only  to  meet  death  in  a  different  form. 
Her  illness  having  been  aggravated  by  the  shock 
she  had  sustained,  her  merciless  sons  conveyed 
her  to  the  river  side  to  die.  There  I  found  her 
three  days  after,  just  able  to  speak  once  and  no 
more.  She  died  in  about  half  an  hour.  It  was 
evident  that  mud  had  been  put  into  her  mouth. 

Smith  and  Clioules'  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  254. 


INHUMAN   OBDURACY    OF   THE   HEATHEN. 

Mr.  Tracy,  an  American  missionary,  while 
walking  in  the  suburbs  of  Canton,  observed  in 
the  vicinity  of  an  idol  temple  extensive  prepara- 
tions for  a  brilliant  display  of  pagan  ceremonies. 
But   he   beheld    also   a   scene   that    contrasted 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  17 

Strangely  with  the  pomp  and  nnirth  of  the 
thronged  celebration.  Three  poor  beggars  had 
died  during  the  night,  and  their  bodies  lay  half 
naked  and  ghastly  upon  the  pavement  before  the 
temple.  Another,  by  their  side,  was  gasping  in 
the  agonies  of  death.  The  next  day,  he  found 
six  other  bodies  in  the  same  place.  Near  them 
was  a  group  of  shivering,  famished  beggars, 
whose  haggard  countenances  and  emaciated 
limbs  might  have  moved  to  compassion  any  heart 
not  steeled  into  pagan  inhumanity. 

Mr.  T.  mentioned  the  case  of  the  perishing 
beggars  to  his  teacher,  and  inquired  if  his  coun- 
trymen would  not  do  something  for  their  relief? 
He  said  some  would,  if  they  were  able;  that  a 
few  of  the  rich  gave  them  something.  At  length 
he  concluded  by  saying  that  the  officers  of  the 
city  would  give  than  coffins  ! 

Missionary  Herald  for  1834,  p.  335. 


HINDOO    REVENGE, 

A  quarrel  had  arisen  between  two  brothers 
and  a  man  of  the  name  of  Gowrie.  The  emis- 
saries of  Gowrie  entered  the  house  of  the  broth- 
ers, in  their  absence,  and  carried  off  forty  ru- 
pees. On  their  return,  they  were  informed  of 
*2 


18  THE    NEED    OF 

the  theft  by  their  mother.  They  immediately 
led  her  out  to  an  adjacent  rivulet,  and  one  of 
them  severed  his  mother's  head  from  her  body, 
with  the  professed  view,  as  entertained  and  ac- 
knowledged by  both  parent  and  sons,  that  the 
mother's  spirit,  excited  by  the  beating  of  a  drum 
during  forty  days,  might  forever  haunt,  torment, 
and  pursue  to  death  Gowrie  and  the  others  con- 
cerned with  him.  The  last  words  pronounced 
by  the  mother  were,  that  she  would  blast  Gowrie 
and  those  connected  with  him.  Nor  is  this  a 
solitary  case  of  desperate  revenge. 

Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  5,  quoted  by  J.  W.  Cunninghasn,  in  Chris- 
tianity in  India. 


CRIMES    OP  AN  ARMENIAN   CONVENT. 

The  following  statement  respecting  the  in- 
mates of  an  Armenian  convent,  is  furnished  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Goodell. 

The  ignorance  and  sin  that  prevail  to  a  great 
extent  among  the  clergy,  and  especially  the  con- 
vents, seem  almost  to  surpass  that  of  Sodom. 
In  an  Armenian  convent,  not  far  from  Erivan, 
the  professedly  devoted  monks,  who,  in  addition 
to  their  prayers,  are  obliged  to  read  the  whole  of 
the  Psalter,  every  day,  for  devotional  purposes, 


CHRISTIAN    MESSIONS.  19 

are  notorious  for   their  quarrels    and   njurders. 
One  morning  they  commenced  their  daily  task 
of  devotions,  as  usual,  at  a  very  early  hour ;  but 
soon  they  began  to  dispute  respecting  each  oth- 
er's manner  of  reading;    and  finally  came    to 
blows.     The  lamps,  according  to  custom,  were 
instantly  removed,  that  they  might  not  be  broken, 
and  the  oil  spilt  upon  the  books,  and  the  monks 
were  allowed  to  complete  this  prelude  to  their 
devotions  in  the  dark.     When  all  was  quiet,  and 
the  lamps  were  again  introduced,  it  was  discov- 
ered that  twelve  of  the  monks  had  been  killed. 
The  murderers  found  that  they  had  lost  much 
time  in  the  quarrel,  and  without  waiting  to  wash 
the  blood  from  their  hands,  or  to  wipe  the  sweat 
from  their  brows,  immediately  began  reading  or 
chanting  in  the  most  hurried  manner,  "  Blessed 
is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the   counsel  of 
the  ungodly,"   &c.     When   they   had  thus  de- 
voutly finished  their  prayers,  they  carried  their 
companions  out,  and   buried  them.     The   next 
day,  one  of  their  number,  being  in  a  village  not 
far  distant,  some  of  the  people   asked  after  the 
welfare   of    the    convent.     He    answered   **  all 
well,"  and,  after  a  little  pause  and  a  shrug  of 
the  shoulders,  added,  ''Yesterday  a  little  misun- 
derstanding arose  among  the  brethren,  in  conse- 
quence of  which,  twelve  of  them  were  *'  received 


20 


THE    NEED    OF 


up  "  to  God  :  but  it  is  a  trifle  not  worth  men- 
tioning." Such  enormities,  occurring  among  a 
people  nominally  Christian,  indicate  deplorable 
need  of  Christian  missions. 

Missionary  Herald,  1829,  p.  207. 


HUMAN   VrCTIMS   OFFERED    TO    SHARKS. 

In  November,  1801,  some  European  seamen, 
belonging  to  the  pilot  service  of  Bengal,  were 
witnesses  to  the  cruel  practice  of  devoting  living 
persons  to  the  sharks,  on  the  island  of  Sagur. 
On  asking  a  Fakeer  why  so  many  were  thrown 
into  the  water,  he  answered  that  the  Head  Fa- 
keer required  the  sacrifice  for  the  prosperity  of 
their  respective  families.  They  saw  eleven  men, 
women,  and  boys  thus  destroyed.  It  was  ascer- 
tained that  the  victims  destroyed  in  the  month 
of  November,  amounted  to  thirty-nine  ;  and  that 
a  boy  about  twelve  years  old,  who  had  been 
thrown  into  the  river,  having  saved  himself  by 
swimming,  a  Gosayne  endeavored  to  extend  his 
protection  to  him  ;  but,  unnatural  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, he  was  again  seized  and  committed  to 
destruction  by  his  own  parents. 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  34. 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  21 


AFFECTING   SCENE  IN   INDIA. 

"I  beheld,"  says  Dr.  Buchanan,  "another 
distressing  scene  this  morning  at  the  place  of 
skulls; — a  poor  woman  lying  dead,  or  nearly 
dead,  and  her  two  children  by  her,  looking  at 
the  dogs  and  vultures  which  were  near.  The 
people  passed  by  without  noticing  the  children. 
I  asked  them  where  was  their  home?  They 
said  they  had  no  home  but  where  their  mother 
was." 

Sermons  before  Lond.  Miss.  Soc.  vol.  4,  p.  61. 


DISTRESS    OF  A  MOTHER. 

A  missionary  in  South  America  reproved  an 
Indian  mother  for  the  murder  of  her  female 
infants.  She  replied  with  tears,  "  I  would  to 
God,  father,  I  would  to  God,  that  my  mother  had, 
by  my  death,  prevented  the  distresses  I  endure, 
and  have  yet  to  endure  as  long  as  I  live.  Con- 
sider, father,  our  deplorable  condition.  Our 
husbands  go  out  to  hunt,  and  trouble  themselves 
no  farther.  We  are  dragged  along,  with  one 
infant  at  the  breast,  and  another  in  a  basket. 
They  return  in  the  evening  without  any  burden. 


22 


THE    NEED    OF 


We  return  with  the  burden  of  our  children ; 
and,  though  tired  with  a  long  march,  must  labor 
all  night  in  grinding  corn,  to  make  cliica  for 
them.  They  get  drunk,  and  in  their  drunken- 
ness beat  us,  draw  us  by  the  hair  of  the  head, 
and  tread  us  under  foot.  And  what  have  we  to 
comfort  us  for  slavery  that  has  no  end?  A 
young  wife  is  brought  in  upon  us,  who  is  permit- 
ted to  abuse  us  and  our  children,  because  we 
are  no  longer  regarded.  Can  human  nature  en- 
dure such  tyranny?  What  kindness  can  we 
show  to  our  female  children,  equal  to  that  of  re- 
lieving them  from  such  oppression,  more  bitter 
a  thousand  times  than  death?  I  say  again, 
would  to  God  my  mother  had  put  me  under 
ground  the  moment  I  was  born." 

Cecil's  Miss.  Sermon,  quoted  in  Tract  on  the  condition  of  Females 
in  Pagan  and  Moliammedan  countries. 


THE  HEATHEN  ARE  WITHOUT  NATURAL  AFFECTION. 

A  Hindoo  family,  after  a  pilgrimage  of  nearly 
two  thousand  miles  on  foot,  had  arrived  within 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  the  temple 
of  Juggernaut,  when  the  mother  was  attacked 
with  cholera.  The  husband  immediately  forsook 
her.     With  an  infant  at  her  breast,  and  reduced 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  23 

as  she  was,  she  crawled  to  a  neighboring  village, 
hoping  to  find  a  shelter  :  but  every  application 
proved  unsuccessful.  Denied  admittance  at  ev- 
ery house,  she  lay,  in  a  stormy  night,  with  her 
infant,  upon  the  naked  ground.  Mr.  Sutton 
having  been  informed  of  her  suffering  condition, 
repaired  to  the  spot,  and  found  mother  and  in- 
fant lying  under  a  tree,  drenched  with  rain. 
He  had  her  removed,  and  gave  her  medicine  ; 
but  on  the  second  day  she  died.  The  infant  was 
almost  famished.  Mr.  S.  used  every  persuasion 
to  obtain  for  it  nourishment  and  care,  but  he 
was  unsuccessful.  The  unfeeling  reply  of  every 
person  was — "  It  is  only  a  girl."  He  applied 
finally  to  the  owner  of  the  village,  a  wealthy 
man,  and  a  priest  of  Juggernaut.  The  hard- 
hearted man  could  coolly  say,  **Ifthe  mother  is 
dead,  let  the  child  die  too — what  else  should  it 
do  ?  It  is  but  a  girl."  At  length  some  milk 
was  procured,  and  the  starving  child  received 
the  nourishment  with  the  utmost  avidity.  The 
heart  of  the  missionary  was  touched  by  its  look 
of  imploring  earnestness  and  unbounded  joy. 
He  resolved  to  cherish  her  as  his  own  child. 
She  has  been  brought  to  this  country,  and  placed 
at  a  female  seminary  near  Boston. 

Stated  by  Rev.  Mr.  Sutton,  in  a  public  address,  during  a  recent  visit 
to  this  country. 


24  THE    NEED    OP 


INFANTICIDE   IN   CHINA. 

In  the  imperial  city,  after  allowing  more  than 
one  half  for  natural  deaths,  the  number  of  ex- 
posed infants  is,  according  to  Barrow,  about  four 
thousand  a  year.  Some  of  the  scenes  he  wit- 
nessed while  at  Pekin,  were  almost  incredible. 
Before  the  carts  go  around  in  the  morning  to 
pick  up  the  bodies  of  infants  thrown  in  the 
streets — amounting  to  about  four  and  twenty 
every  night — dogs  and  swine  are  let  loose  upon 
them.  The  bodies  of  those  found  are  carried  to 
a  common  pit  without  the  city  walls,  in  which 
the  livincr  and  the  dead  are  thrown  to<?ether. 
This,  however,  is  a  small  proportion,  compared 
with  other  places.  In  some  provinces  not  one 
out  of  three  is  suffered  to  live. 

Abeel's  Residence  in  China,  p.  128. 


EXAMPLE    OF   A   REVENGEFUL    SPIRIT. 

The  Tahitians,  before  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  among  them,  were  as  implacable 
and  untiring  in  their  efforts  to  execute  plans  of 
revenge,  as  savages  usually  are.  Formerly, 
when  one  of  these  islanders  had  at  length  suc- 
ceeded in  slaying  his  enemy,  he  has  bruised  the 


niRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  25 

body  of  his  foe  to  pulp  with  large  stones.  lie 
has  then  spread  out  the  flattened  mass  to  the 
sun,  till  it  was  dried  like  leather.  Then  he  has 
glutted  his  remorseless  hatred  by  wearing  the 
covering  thus  formed — having  made  an  aperture 
through  the  centre  for  his  head — the  hands 
dangling  down  in  front,  and  the  feet  behind,  till 
the  hideous  garment  fell  in  pieces  from  the  re- 
vengeful wearer.  A  practice  similar  to  this,  it 
is  said,  prevailed  among  the  New  Zealanders. 
How  different  is  tlie  character  of  the  South  Sea 
islanders  now  !  No  people  are  more  harmless, 
none  more  kindly  affectioned  one  toward  another. 

Tyeiman  aiul  Bcimet's  Journal,  vol.  1,  p.  77.     Lond. 


CRUELTY     TOWARDS    THE     INFIRM,     AMONG     SOUTH 
SEA    ISLANDERS. 

Before  the  introduction  of  Christianity  to  their 
islands,  the  natives  often  proved  themselves  des- 
titute of  natural  affection  in  their  treatment  of 
the  infirm.  Sometimes  the  unhappy  invalid  was 
buried  alive.  When  this  was  designed,  a  pit 
was  dug,  bathing  was  proposed  to  the  sufferer, 
and  the  attendants  proffered  their  services  to 
convey  him  to  the  beach.  Instead,  however,  of 
shewing  him  this  kindness,  they  bore  him  to  the 
3 


26  THE    NEED    OP 

pit,  and  cast  him  in.  Stones  and  dirt  were  hur- 
ried into  the  grave,  to  stifle  the  voice  of  the 
unhappy  man.  Tlie  work  of  murder  was  soon 
performed,  and  the  relatives  returned  to  their 
dwellings,  thankful  to  obtain  relief,  by  this  meth- 
od, from  the  cares  which  humanity  enjoins. 
Sometimes  the  invalid  was  destroyed  in  a  more 
summ.ary  manner.  Having  called  out  all  the 
visiters,  the  friends  or  companions  of  the  sick 
man  armed  themselves  with  spears,  and  prepared 
for  their  savage  work.  It  was  in  vain  that  the 
helpless  invalid  cried  for  mercy.  So  far  from 
being  moved  by  his  entreaties,  they  would  amuse 
themselves  with  deliberate  cruelty,  by  trying  to 
surpass  each  other  in  throwing  the  spear  with 
dexterity  at  the  miserable  suppliant,  or  rushing 
upon  him,  they  would  transfix  him  to  the  couch. 
So  true  is  it  that  the  dark  places  of  the  earth 
are  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty. 

Ellis's  Polynesian  Researdies,  vol.  4,  p.  282.     Lond. 


A  MOTHER  PERSUADED  TO  MURDER  AN  ONLY  SON. 

A  Hindoo  priest  had  succeeded  in  obtaining 
a  powerful  influence  over  a  wealthy  widow. 
Her  only  son,  as  heir  to  the  estate,  stood  in  the 
way  of  the    forfeiture  of  the   property   to   the 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  27 

priests.  The  widow  was  assured  that  her  god- 
dess Calle  had  ap})eared  in  a  vision  to  the  priest, 
and  had  demanded  that  the  motlier  should  offer 
a  human  head  in  sacrifice.  The  woman  in- 
quired whose  head  was  demanded  ?  The  priest 
made  no  answer,  but  pointed  silently  to  her  son. 
The  mother,  having  received  such  an  intimation 
as  she  supposed  from  heaven,  stole,  a  few  nights 
after,  to  her  son's  bed  and  murdered  him.  The 
head  was  given  to  the  priest,  agreeably  to  his 
diabolical  suggestion.  The  attempt  to  conceal 
the  body  led  to  a  detection  of  the  murder,  and 
the  instigator,  as  well  as  the  murderess,  suffered 
capital  punishment.  But  the  example  shews 
how  complete  and  mischievous  is  the  influence 
of  a  pagan  priesthood  in  India. 

Stated  by  Ilev.  filr.  Sutton,  missionary  to  India,  while  on  a  visit  to 
this  country. 


A  BOY  MURDERED  BY  HIS  FATHER. 

A  man  and  his  wife,  residents  of  Waiakea,on 
one  of  the  South  Sea  islands,  had  an  only  child, 
a  fine  little  boy.  A  disagreement  arose  between 
them  respecting  the  child.  The  wife  refusing 
to  accede  to  the  wishes  of  the  husband,  he,  in 
revenge,  caught  up  the  boy  by  the  head  and  the 


28 


THE    NEED    OF 


feet,  broke  its  back  across  his  knee,  and  then 
threw  it  down  in  expiring  agonies  before  her. 
Struck  with  the  atrocity  of  the  act,  an  European 
seized  the  man,  led  him  before  the  king,  and 
requested  that  he  might  be  punished.  The  king 
inquired,  "  To  whom  did  the  child  belong  ?" 
The  reply  was — to  the  man  who  committed  the 
crime.  "  Then,"  said  the  king,  *'  neither  you 
nor  I  have  any  right  to  interfere." 

Anecdotes,  Christian  ftJissions,  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc.  p.  28. 


HUMAN   SACRIFICES    IN   AFRICA. 

The  Ashantees  sacrifice  human  victims,  to  the 
number  of  one  hundred,  at  all  their  great  festi- 
vals, some  of  which  occur  every  twenty-one 
days.  On  the  death  of  his  mother,  the  king  of- 
fered three  thousand  victims,  and  at  the  death 
of  a  distinguished  captain,  twenty-four  hundred. 
At  the  funeral  of  a  person  of  rank,  it  is  usual  to 
wet  the  grave  by  the  blood  of  a  freeman,  who  is 
slaughtered  unsuspectingly,  while  assisting  in 
the  funeral  rites,  and  rolled  into  the  grave  with 
the  corpse.  A  regular  correspondence  is  sup- 
posed by  them  to  be  kept  up  with  the  invisible 
world.  Hence  the  king,  wishing  to  send  to  any 
of  his  deceased  friends,  calls  a  servant,  delivers 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  29 

to  him  a  message,  and  kills  him  that  he  may 
carry  it.  Then,  if  he  wishes  to  make  any  addi- 
tion to  the  message,  he  calls  another  slave,  and 
treats  him  in  like  manner;  and  all  with  the 
same  indifference  with  which  one  of  us  would 
write  a  letter  and  add  a  postscript. 

Missionary  Register,  1820,  pp.  lf)8,  182,  quoted  in  Burder's  Miss. 
Anecdotes,  p.  72. 


HUMAN  SACRIFICES   AT   THE  SOUTH   SEA  ISLANDS. 

Mr.  Ellis  was  informed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Maeva,  that  the  foundation  of  some  of  the  build- 
ings for  the  abode  of  their  gods  was  actually 
laid  in  human  sacrifices:  that  every  pillar  sup- 
porting the  roof  of  one  of  the  sacred  houses  at 
Maeva,  was  planted  upon  the  body  of  a  man 
who  had  been  offered  as  a  victim  to  the  san- 
guinary deity  for  whom  the  temple  was  erected. 
The  unhappy  wretches  selected  were  either 
captives  taken  in  war,  or  individuals  who  had 
rendered  themselves  obnoxious  to  the  chiefs  or 
the  priests. 

Ellis's  Polynesian  Researches  vol.  2.  p.  212,  Lond. 


HUMAN  SACRIFICES  IN  ANCIENT    ERITIAN. 

Maurice,  in  his  "Indian  Antiquities"  refers  thus 
to  the  worship  practised  by  the  British  Druids. 
*3 


30 


THE     NEED     OF 


The  pen  of  history  trembles  to  relate  the 
baleful  orgies  which  their  frantic  superstition 
celebrated,  when,  inclosing  men,  women  and 
children  in  one  vast  wicker  image,  in  the  form 
of  a  man,  and  filling  it  with  every  kind  of  com- 
bustibles, they  set  fire  to  the  huge  colossus. 
While  the  dreadful  holocaust  was  offering  to 
their  sanguinary  gods,  the  groans  and  shrieks 
of  the  consuming  victims  were  drowned  amidst 
shouts  of  barbarous  triumph,  and  the  air  was 
rent  as  in  the  Syrian  temple  of  old,  with  mar- 
tial music.  Religion  shudders  at  such  a  per- 
version of  its  names  and  rites,  and  humanity 
turns  with  horror  from  the  guilty  scene, 

Such  were  our  ancestors.  To  us  much  has 
been  given,  and  of  us  much  will  be  required. 

Anecdotes,  Cliristian  JMissions.  by  Loud.  Tract  l?oc'y,  p.  27. 


THREE  BOYS  FATTENED  FOR  SLAUGHTER. 

Dr.  Carey,  of  Serampore,  writing  to  a  friend 
in  England,  a  few  years  ago,  had  occasion  to 
speak  of  Sumatra,  as  an  important  station  for 
the  establishment  of  a  mission.  The  Doctor 
related,  that  a  little  time  before  he  wrote,  he 
had  received  very  decisive  evidence  that  there 
were  cannibals  on  this  island.     He  was  walking 


CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS.  31 

witli  a  gentleman  at  Serampore,  who  pointed  to 
a  boy  and  asked  the  Doctor,  if  he  could  imagine 
how  he  came  by  him.  The  reply  was,  of  course, 
in  the  necrative.  He  then  stated  that  he  was  on 
the  eastern  coast  of  Sumatra,  when  having 
occasion  to  go  ashore,  he  saw  three  little  boys. 
lie  asked  a  Malay  who  they  were,  and  was  in- 
stantly told  they  had  been  stolen  from  a  ncigh- 
borinsT  island,  and  would  be  sold  for  food  to  the 
Battas,  (a  nation  inhabiting  part  of  Sumatra,) 
as  soon  os  they  were  fattened.  He  asked  their 
price,  and  was  told  it  was  150  dollars:  he  paid 
the  money,  and  took  them  on  board  his  ship  for 
the  preservation  of  their  lives.  Such  are  some 
of  the  worst  fruits  of  paganism. 

Anecdotes,  Christian  iiissions,  by  London  Tract  Soo'y.  p.  3.>. 


HEATHEN   INHUMANITY. 

For  a  man,  says  Mr.  Richards,  whose  house 
is  on  fire  to  receive  any  assistance  from  his 
neighbours  is  a  thing  unknown  in  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  unless  the  neighbour  be  a  relation.  On 
the  contrary,  as  soon  as  a  house  is  seen  on  fire, 
it  is  the  sole  object  of  every  one  who  sees  it  to 
plunder  as  much  as  possible.  The  grass,  of 
which  the  thatching  is  composed,  burns  so  rap- 


32  THE     NEED     OF 

idly,  that  the  large  timber  of  the  frame  has 
hardly  time  to  take  fire,  before  the  grass  is  con- 
sumed. A  large  part  of  the  timber  therefore  might 
be  saved:  but  so  greedy  are  the  people  to  rob  every 
man  of  every  thing,  that  they  seize  the  sticks  of 
the  house  while  they  are  on  fire,  and  are  seen 
running  in  every  direction,  with  the  fire  spark- 
ling on  their  backs.  I  saw  two  men  that  were 
considerably  burnt  by  trying  to  carry  burning 
timber.  When  I  went  in  the  morning,  I  found 
the  owners  of  the  houses,  with  their  families, 
sitting  on  mats  in  the  open  air,  where  they  had 
all  slept  during  the  night.  The  people  were 
collected  around  them,  but  not  from  sympathy, 
or  kindness.  The  destitute  families  were  rath- 
er the  subject  of  ridicule  than  of  pity. 

Mr.  Richards  gave  the  destitute  family  ''four 
maros''  to  relieve  their  necessities,  and  tried  to 
awaken  some  sympathy  in  their  behalf  among 
the  spectators:  the  following  statement  shews 
how  his  benevolence  was  regarded. 

The  people  all  seemed  astonished  at  my  mak- 
ing the  presents,  for  they  could  assign  no  cause 
for  it.  Some  said,  "What  a  fool  this  foreigner 
is,  to  make  presents  to  those  poor  men!"  Others 
said,  "He  has  maros  enough:  why  should  he 
not  give  them?"  Others  said,  "He  expects 
they  will  give  him  something  by  and  by:  the 


CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS.  33 

foreitrners  are  all  cuiininsr  men."  A  few  said 
with  much  coolness,  "Perhaps  he  is  kind." 
As  I  was  returning,  many  questions  were  asked 
me.  One  inquired  with  much  earnestness, 
"Did  you  think  those  men  were  chiefs?"  I 
answered,  "No."  He  inquired  again,  with  in- 
creasing interest.  "But  what  have  they  ever 
given  you?"  I  told  him,  "Nothing."  Said  he 
"They  are  poor  men,  very  poor,  why  should 
you  give  any  thing  to  them."  I  told  him,  I 
gave  because  they  were  poor,  but  this  reason 
lie  could  not  understand.  It  is  indeed  univer- 
sally true  here,  that  those  who  give,  do  it  lioping 
to  receive  as  much  again. 

Such  were  the  Sandwich  Islanders  before  the 
merciful  lessons  of  Christianity  were  inculcated 
among  them. 

Missionary  Herald,  1820.  p.  241. 


SECTION    II. 
The  wo7-thIcss/icss  of  Pagan   Rites  and  Belief, 

WHERE   SHALL  I   GO  LAST    OF   ALL? 

A  Hindoo,  of  a  thoughtful,  reflecting  turn  of 
mind,  but  devoted  to  idolatry,  lay  on  his  death- 


34  THE     NEED     OF 

bed.  As  he  saw  himself  about  to  plunge  into 
that  boundless  unknown,  he  cried  out,  "What 
will  become  become  of  me?"  *'0,"  said  a 
brahmin,  who  stood  by,  "you  will  inhabit  anoth- 
er body."  "And  where"  said  he  "shall  I  go 
then?"  "Into  another."  "And  where  then," 
"Into  another,  and  so  on,  through  thousands  of 
millions."  Darting  across  this  whole  period 
as  though  it  were  but  an  instant,  he  cried, 
"where  shall  I  go  then?"  Paganism  could  not 
answer,  and  he  died  agonizing  under  the  inqui- 
ry, "where  shall  I  go  last  of  all?" 

Anecdotes,    Christian  Missions,  p  11. 


WORSHIP  OF  DEVILS. 

"The  Africans,  all  acknowledge  a  Supreme 
Being.  But  they  suppose  Him  endowed  with 
too  much  benevolence  to  do  harm  to  mankind, 
and  therefore  think  it  unnecessary  to  oiTer  him 
any  homage.  It  is  from  demons,  or  evil  spirits 
only,  that  they  apprehend  danger,  and  they  en- 
deavour to  deprecate  their  wrath  by  sacrifices 
and  offerings." 

Quoted  from  Winterbotham  in  "Defence  of  VVeslcyan  Missions." 
Lond.  p.  15. 


"THE   HEATHEN   HAVE  NO   GOOD    GOD." 

A  New   Zealand   chief  lay  pining  on  a  sick 
bed.     An  European  visiter  inquired  whether  he 


CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS.  35 

ever  prayed  for  the  restoration  of  his  health? 
*No,"  he  replied,  "we  have  no  good  God  to 
address;  our  god  makes  us  sick  and  kills  us, 
but  gives  us  nothing.  Yours  is  a  good  God 
who  hears  you  when  you  pray,  and  bestows 
good  things  upon  you.  Pray  for  me  and  I  shall 
get  well,  yours  is  a  good  God.  Teach  us  to 
know  him,  for  New  Zealand  people  know  noth- 
ing that  is  good."  So  comfortless  are  the  in- 
structions of  heathenism,  and  so  unlike  the  in- 
spired declaration,  that  ''like  as  a  Father  piti- 
eth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that 
fear  Him." 

Smith  and  Choules'    Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  2,  p.  185. 


IDOLATERS   CAN  WORSHIP  ANY  THING. 

At  Baitenzorg,  a  village  of  Java,  Messrs. 
Tyerman  and  Bennett  observed  a  street  occu- 
pied exclusively  by  Chinese.  They  called  at 
several  of  the  houses  and  noticed  an  idol  in 
each.  In  one,  they  observed  an  engraving  of 
the  French  Emperor  Napoleon,  in  a  gilt  frame, 
before  which  incense  was  burning.  The  old 
man,  to  whom  the  picture  belonged,  in  their 
presence,  paid  it  divine  honors,  bowing  himself 
in  various  antic  attitudes,  and  offering  a  prayer 


36 


THE     NEED    OF 


for  blessings  upon  himself  and  his  family. 
When  we  asked  him  why  he  worshipped  an 
European  engraving?  he  replied.  "O,  we  wor- 
ship any  thing." 

Jouinul  vol.  2.  p.  194,  Lond. 


PRAYER  MILLS  OF  TARTARY. 

The  reader  has  probably  heard  that  the  vota- 
ries of  Lamaism  actually  use  prayer-mills.  The 
following  is  a  description  of  these  labor-saving 
machines,  by  Zewick. 

The  kurdu,  or  prayer  machine,  consists  of 
hollow  wooden  cylinders  of  different  sizes,  filled 
with  Tangud  writings.  The  cylinders  are 
painted  with  red  stripes,  and  adorned  with 
handsome  gilt  letters  in  the  Sanscrit  character, 
commonly  making  a  distinct  sentence.  Each 
of  these  is  fixed  upon  an  iron  axis,  which  goes 
through  a  square  frame;  this  frame  is  capable 
of  being  shut  up  flat,  and  is  formed  upon  a 
small  scale,  much  like  a  weaver's  shearing  ma- 
chine. Where  the  lower  parts  of  the  frame 
cross,  there  is  a  hole  in  which  the  axis  of  the 
cylinder  turns;  by  means  of  a  string  which  is 
attached  to  a  crank  in  the  spindle,  the  machine 
can  be  kept  in  motion,  so  that  the  cylinder 
turns  in  the  frame  like  a  grindstone  upon   its 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


37 


axis.  Before  the  fire  at  Sarepta,  we  had  two 
large  kurdiis  of  this  kind,  with  Tangud  writings 
of  all  sorts,  rolled  one  upon  another,  round  the 
spindle,  in  the  inside  of  the  cylinder,  to  the 
length  of  some  hundred  feet.  The  Moguls  be- 
lieve that  it  is  meritorious  respectfully  to  set  in 
motion,  whether  by  the  wind  or  otherwise, 
such  writings  as  contain  prayers  and  other  reli- 
gious documents,  that  the  noise  of  these  scraps 
of  theology  may  reach  to  the  gods  and  bring 
down  their  blessing.  These  prayer  mills  con- 
tain the  above  named  sentence, — a  comprehen- 
sive request — repeated  it  may  be  thousands  of 
times,  and  thus  secure  a  wonderful  multiplica- 
tion of  power.  These  machines  are  commonly 
found  in  the  houses  of  the  Moguls. 

We  can  smile  at  this  worthless  device.  Is  it, 
however  more  absurd  than  a  heartless  prayer, 
offered  to  the  living  God,  for  the  coming  of  His 
kingdom,  and  the  diffusion  of  Christianity  among 
the  needy  heathen? 

Anecdotes,  Christian  Missions,  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc'y.  p.  26. 


HEATHENS      INSTRUCTED      IN     FATAL      ERRORS    BY 
EUROPEANS. 

A  CafTre    asked  Dr.  Vanderkemp,  if  it  were 

not  true  that  God  had  created  them  as  well  as 
4 


38  THE    NEED     OP 

the  Christians,  and  the  beasts  of  the  field, — **for 
you  know,"  said  he,  "that  the  Dutch  farmers 
teach  us  that  He  never  created  us,  nor  taketh 
any  notice  of  us."  Dr.  Vanderkemp  then  sat 
down  and  explained  to  him  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel;  the  Caffre  was  very  much  affected,  and 
groaned,  crying  from  time  to  time,  *'0  my 
poor  soul!  O  Lord  Jesus  look  upon  me!  Come 
to  a  poor  sinner;"  and  when  he  was  about  to 
depart,  he  said,  "Father,  I  will  always  re- 
member these  words,  and  I  will  go  in  all  my 
distress  to  Jesus;  and,  after  I  have  settled  my 
affairs  with  my  master,  I  will  follow  you  into 
Caffreland." 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  272. 


A    PAGAN    GRATIFIED    IN    HIS    WISHES    AND    STILL 
UNHAPPY. 

An  old  man  in  the  course  of  conversation,  said 
to  a  missionary  in  Siberia;  "I  will  state  you  a 
case  and  request  your  opinion  of  it.  There  was 
a  man  who,  during  a  long  life,  wished  to  enjoy 
many  things,  and  many  of  his  desires  were 
granted:  he  wished  to  have  sons,  and  sons  were 
given  him;  to  have  grand  children,  and  his 
eyes  have  seen  them;  to  be  admitted  to  the 
feasts  and  assemblies  of  the  people,  and  he  was 


CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS.  d^ 

gratified  with  these;  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of 
the  chase,  and  he  was  a  successful  hunter;  he 
sought  increase  of  riches,  and  his  cattle  multi- 
plied; he  wished  for  length  of  days,  and  he  is 
now  an  old  man.  But  now  he  has  nothing 
more  to  wish  and  hope  for  in  life,  for  the  day  of 
death  cannot  be  far  off.  He  has  done  with 
feastinor  and  travellinop  and  huntino[  and  mak- 
ing  rich:  and  now  he  wishes  to  know  if  he  may, 
without  making  any  noise  about  it,  simply  wor- 
ship the  God  of  Heaven,  without  avowing  him- 
self a  Christian,  and  give  up  the  worship  of  the 
temple  gods,  but  make  no  formal  abjuration  of 
them. 

Related  by  Rev.  Mr.  Brown,  of  St.   Petersburgh,  at  a  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Meeting  in  New  York,  1836. 


SUPERSTITION   OF  THE  CHINESE. 

On  the  13th.  of  May  1818,  a  storm  suddenly 
arose  at  Pekin,  which  darkened  the  heavens, 
and  filled  the  air  with  sand  and  dust.  The 
Emperor  was  excessively  alarmed,  conceiving 
it  to  be  a  divine  judgment.  Anxious  to  know 
the  meaning  of  the  portentous  event,  he  re- 
quired of  his  ministers  of  State  to  endeavour  to 
ascertain  the  cause.     In  a  public  document,  he 


40 


THE     NEED     OP 


reprimanded  his  astronomers  for  not  having  pre- 
viously informed  him  when  the  hurricane  was 
to  take  place,  they  had  but  three  days  before 
stated  to  him,  that  felicitous  stars  shed  their 
happy  influence  around  his  person,  and  indica- 
ted long  life  and  prosperity. 

The  Mathematical  Board  presented  their 
opinion,  and  affirmed  that  if  this  khid  of  hurri- 
cane, accompanied  by  a  descent  of  dust,  con- 
tinued a  whole  day,  it  indicated  perverse  beha- 
vior and  discordant  counsels  between  the  Sove- 
reign and  his  ministers;  and  also  great  drought 
and  dearness  of  grain.  If  the  wind  should 
blow  up  the  sand,  move  the  stones  and  be  ac- 
companied with  noise,  inundations  were  to  be 
expected.  If  the  descent  of  dust  should  con- 
tinue but  an  hour,  pestilence  may  be  expected 
in  the  southwest  regions,  and  half  the  popula- 
tion will  be  diseased  in  the  southeast. 

Smith  and  Choules'  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  506. 


PUNISHMENT  OF  A  PLANET. 

The  following  occurrence,  related  in  a  for- 
eign Indian  Paper,  illustrates  the  nature  of 
refined  heathenism,  and  the  folly  of  its  votaries. 
The  narrative,  though  it  may  call  forth  a  smile 


CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS. 


41 


in  its  satirical  dress,  should  move  the  heart  of 
christian  compassion,  and  urge  the  friends  of 
missions  to  greater  zeal  in  the  work  of  diffusing 
the  truths  of  Christianity. 

*'It  is  well  known  that  Maharajah  Runjeet 
Sing  has  trusted  more  during  his  indisposition 
to  ghostly  advisers  than  to  the  European  and 
native  physicians  who  attended  him;  but  what- 
ever profundity  in  occult  science  might  be  con- 
ceded to  the  domestic  chaplains  of  his  High- 
ness, the  public  is  little  aware  how  much  these 
reverend  fathers  have  excelled  the  ancient  phi- 
losophers in  the  practical  use  of  their  art.  The 
uncourtly  speech  of  an  old  beggar  woman,  who 
ascribed  the  affliction  of  her  Sovereign  to  his 
oppression  of  the  people,  was  not  deemed  at  ail 
philosophical,  and  they  resolved  to  seek  the 
cause  of  the  calamnity  in  tlft  stars.  A  careful 
survey  of  the  heavenly  host  disclosed  the  fearful 
truth.  The  planet  Saturn,  whose  baneful  influ- 
ence no  pious  Hindoo  denies,  was  found  to  be 
in  the  ascendant.  Hence,  as  clear  as  noonday, 
came  the  liver  complaint  and  dysentery,  which 
oppressed  the  Lion  of  the  Punjaub.  Mighty  as 
the  Maharajah  on  earth  was,  he  could  not  dislodge 
the  star  from  its  place  in  the  sky;  but  they  who 
ministered  to  his  royal  spirit,  whether  obeying 
his   commands  or   acting  on   conceptions  truly 


42 


THE     NEED    OF 


original,  decided  on  getting  rid  of  the  malig- 
nant planet  by  transporting  it  in  effigy  out  of 
the  sick  dominions  into  the  British  territory, 
whence  it  is  expected  that  the  Governor-Gener- 
al, with  the  friendship  which  he  has  always 
professed  for  the  northern  Potentate,  will  lose 
no  time  in  transmitting  Saturn  beyond  the  Cal- 
apanee,  or  salt  ocean.  The  image  or  repre- 
sentative of  the  celestial  body,  in  what  shape  is 
not  stated,  is  actually  on  its  way  from  Lahore 
to  the  Sutledge  in  a  car  drawn  by  oxen. — Every 
respect  is  paid,  on  this  novel  journey,  to  the  de- 
posed father  of  gods  and  men,  which  he  could 
claim  before  eating  his  children.  It  is  needless 
to  add  that,  since  he  left  Lahore,  the  Maharajah 
has  almost  recovered,  and  will  be  quite  well  by 
the  time  Saturn  reaches   Lodiana. — 

Cawnpore  Express,  from  "Notes  on  Missions,"  in  the  Charleston 
Observer. 


HINDOO   VIEWS   OF  CASTE. 

A  Brahmin  in  Calcutta  asked  an  European 
gentleman,  "What  is  your  order  of  society  in 
Great  Britian,  are  you  divided  into  castes,  or  do 
you  eat  and  drink  together,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances?" The  European  replied,  "We 
deem  it  our  honor  to  demean  ourselves  as  breth- 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  43 

ren  in  the  participation  of  food  at  one  table,  as 
Providence  permits."  The  Braluiiin  replied, 
"That  appears  to  nie  to  be  an  offence  against 
good  morals  and  good  conduct."  1'lie  gentle- 
man rejoined,  "I  think  I  can  prove  it  to  you,  by 
a  practice  of  your  own,  that  you  are  in  error. 
How  do  you*act  in  the  field  of  Juggernaut?  Do 
you  not  eat  there  with  the  lowest  caste  of  India? 
There  you  know  no  distinction  of  caste,  but  all 
feed  at  one  board."  The  Brahmin  answered, 
**I  can  screen  myself  from  the  imputation  you 
bring  against  us,  lor  there  we  are  in  the  pres- 
ence of  our  god,  there  Juggernaut  is  in  our 
midst,  and  there  we  can  feast  together."  *'Ah!" 
said  the  gentleman,  "And  I  can  justify  the 
Christian  practice  on  your  own  principles,  for 
we  arc  every  where  in  the  presence  of  our  God." 

Missionary  Herald,  1824.  p.  302. 


SECTION    III. 

The  Heathen  j^ossess  a  knowledge  of  duty  that 
leaves  them  toithoiit  excuse. 


ADMISSIONS   OF  A  GREEXLANDER. 

A   missionary  being  once  in   company  with 
some  baptized  Greenlanders,  expressed  his  won- 


44  THE     NEED     OF 

der  how  they  could   formerly  lead  such  a  sense- 
less life,  void  of  all   reflection.     Upon  this,  one 
of  them   answered   as  follows.     "It  is  true   we 
were  ignorant  heathens,  and  knew  nothing  of  a 
God  or  a  Saviour,  and  indeed  who  should  tell  us 
of  Him  till  you  came?     But  thou  must  not  im- 
agine that  no  Greenlander  thinks  about  these 
things.     I  myself  have  often  thought  a  cajak  (a 
canoe)  with  all  its  tackle  and  implements  does 
not  grow  into  existence   of  itself,  but    must  be 
made  by  the  labor   and  ingenuity  of  man,  and 
one  that  does  not  understand   it  would  directly 
spoil  it.     Now  the  meanest  bird  has   far  more 
skill  displayed  in  its  structure   than   the  best 
kajak,  and    no   man   can  make   a  bird.      But 
there  is  still  far  greater  art  shewn  in  the  forma- 
tion of  a  man  than  of  any  other  creature.     Who 
was  it  that  made  him?     I  bethought  me,  he  pro- 
ceeded  from  his  parents,   and   they  from  their 
parents.     But  some  must  have   been  the    first 
parents;  whence  did  they  come?     Common  re- 
port informs  me   they  grew  out   of  the  earth. 
But  if  so,  why  does  it  not  still  happen  that  men 
grow  out  of  the  earth?     And  from  whence  did 
this  same  earth    itself,    the    sea,  the   sun,  the 
moon  and  stars  arise  into  existence?     Certainly 
there  must  be  some  Being  who  made   all  these 
things,  a  Being  that  always  was  and  can  never 


CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS. 


45 


cease  to  be.  He  must  be  inexpressibly  more 
mighty,  knowing  and  wise  than  the  wisest  man. 
He  must  be  very  good  too,  for  every  thing  tli.it 
He  has  made  is  good,  useful  and  necessary  for 
us.  Ah!  did  I  but  know  Him,  how  would  I  love 
Him  and  honor  Him.  But  who  has  seen  Him? 
who  has  ever  conversed  with  Him?  None  of  us 
poor  men.  Yet  there  may  be  men  too  who 
know  something  of  Him.  Oh,  could  I  but 
speak  with  such!  Therefore,  said  he,  as  soon 
as  ever  I  heard  you  speak  of  this  great  Being,  I 
believed  it  directly  with  all  my  heart,  because 
I  had  so  long  desired  to  hear  it. 

Burder'8  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  172. 


SINGULAR    ADMISSION  OF  GUILT. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,  Paul  has  described  pagan  character 
as  it  was  developed  in  his  age.  Missionaries  in 
India  have  held  up  this  description  to  the  view 
of  the  Hindoos  in  our  own  day.  The  delinea- 
tion was  proved  to  be  a  perfect  picture  of  hea- 
thenism, as  it  now  exists  in  India,  by  the  charge 
which  has  been  advanced  against  the  missiona- 
ries, of  having  forged  this  passage  since  their 
arrival  in  the  country.     Thus  the  fullest  admis- 


46  THE     NEED    OF 

sion  has  been  made,  that  the  epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans— frightful  as  its  details  of  pagan  depravity 
are — gives  an  accurate  description  of  enormi- 
ties and  woes,  that  now  call  for  the  interposition 
of  Christian  benevolence. 

Stated  by  Rov.  Mr.  Sutton,  Missionary  from  India,  during  a  recent 
visit  to  this  country. 

MUSINGS   OF  AN  INDIAN. 

Soon  after  William  Penn  and  his  followers 
settled  in  Pennsylvania,  a  great  mortality  pre- 
vailed among  the  Indians;  and  a  judicious  histo- 
rian tells  us,  that  an  Indian  war-captain  made 
this  serious  expostulation  with  himself.  "What 
is  the  matter  with  us  Indians,  that  we  are  thus 
sick  in  our  own  air,  and  these  strangers  well? 
It  is  as  if  they  were  sent  hither  to  inherit  our 
lands  in  our  stead;  but  the  reason  is  plain,  they 
love  the  great  God  and  ice  do  not^  Mr.  Penn 
heard  the  remark. 

Dr.  Humphrey's  account  of  the  Soc'y  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel,  quoted  by  Buvder,   Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  153. 


RESISTANCE  TO  THE    LIGHT   OF    TRUTH    AMONG   PA- 
GANS. 

After  some   Catholic  missionaries  had   made 
known  to  an  assembly  of  Indians  in  S.  America 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  47 

the  truths  of  the  Christian  religion,  they  re- 
ceived this  cool  answer.  "You  say  that  the 
God  of  the  Christians  knows  every  thing,  that 
nothing  is  hidden  from  Him,  that  He  is  every 
where,  and  sees  all  that  is  done  below.  Now 
we  do  not  desire  a  God  so  sharp-sighted:  we 
choose  to  live  with  freedom  in  our  woods,  with- 
out having  a  perpetual  observer  of  our  actions 
over  our  heads." 

Miiratori'g  Mission  to  Paraguay,  p.  107.    quoted  by  Burder,  Miss. 
Anecdote!?,  p.  57. 


THE   LAW   OF  GOD   OPENLY  REJECTED   BY  PAGANS. 

"The  reason  why  we  hate  that  law,"  said 
some  idolaters  to  a  zealous  missionary,  *'is  be- 
cause it  is  holy:  and  therefore  it  is  we  would 
destroy  it.  If  it  would  allow  us  to  rob  freely,  if 
it  did  dispense  with  our  paying  the  tribute 
which  the  king  exacts,  if  it  taught  us  to  be  re- 
venged of  our  enemies,  and  to  give  way  to  our 
passions,  without  being  exposed  to  the  conse- 
quences of  debauchery,  we  would  heartily  em- 
brace it;  but  because  it  so  severely  curbs  our 
inclinations,  therefore  we  reject  it,  and  do  com- 
mand you  the  catechist  to  depart  out  of  the 
province  immediately." 

Swan  on  Idolatry,  p.  121. 


THE     NEED     OF 


REMORSE  OF   AN  INDIAN. 


A  young  Indian,  belonging  to  one  of  the 
most  untutored  tribes  of  N.  America,  coveted 
the  distinction  of  a  hrave.  To  secure  this  rank, 
it  was  necessary,  by  the  usages  of  his  tribe,  to 
kill  an  enemy. 

While  engaged  with  a  war  party,  he  attacked 
a  little  child,  and  when  the  child  ran  into  the 
bushes  to  escape,  he  pursued.  The  child  ear- 
nestly entreated  him  to  spare  his  life.  But  the 
cries  of  the  helpless  fugitive  were  disregarded: 
the  pursuer  struck  him  with  a  spear  in  the 
breast.  The  wounded  boy  persevered  in  his 
endeavours  to  extract  the  weapon,  until  he  fell 
and  expired.  The  young  man,  instead  of  feel- 
ing happy,  as  he  anticipated,  after  qualifying 
himself  by  this  cruel  act  for  the  rank  he  covet- 
ed, became  exceedingly  wretched.  He  could 
not  relieve  his  mind  from  painful  impressions. 
The  image  of  the  child  pleading  for  life,  and 
his  efforts  to  extract  the  spear,  constantly  haunt- 
ed his  imagination.  Thus  does  conscience  per- 
form her  work  even  in  the  dark  mind  of  the 
savage.  The  Heathen  are  thus  "a  law  unto 
themselves." 

Uuarterly  Paper  of  the  Am.  Board,  C.  F.  M.  p.  88.  Sept.  1835. 


(MIUTSriAN     MISSIONS.  49 

THE    FOI.T,Y    OF    TAGAX    WOKSUIP    ADMITTED. 

In  conimuiiicitiiig  to  the  Society  for  the  Pro- 
motion of  Christian  Knowledge,  his  general 
report  for  the  year  1778,  Swartz  observes,  that 
among  the  Hindoos  at  Trichinopoly  and  Tan- 
jore,  there  were  many  thousands,  even  among 
the  Brahmins,  who  confessed  that  their  idolatry 
was  both  vain  and  sinful.  It  was  not  unusual 
for  them,  when  pressed  by  his  arguments,  to 
reply,  "  True — what  can  avail  all  our  images 
and  innumeral)le  ceremonies  !  There  is  but  one 
Supreme  Being,  the  Maker  and  preserver  of 
all!"  "Hardly  a  day  passes,"  he  says,  "in 
which  Brahmins  do  not  visit  my  house  at  Tan- 
jore,  hear  attentively  what  is  addressed  to  them, 
frequently  take  up  a  book  in  which  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity  are  explained,  and  praise  it  as  a 
divine  religion."  But  too  generally  their  convic- 
tions ended  with  their  applause.  "A  Brahmin," 
he  continues,  *'  being  asked  what  he  would  re- 
solve upon — whether  he  intended  to  stifle  his 
conviction,  or  to  receive  that  divine  doctrine, 
and  to  profess  it — replied,  that  he  could  not 
deny  the  impression  he  had  received,  and  that  he 
had  sounded  some  of  his  acquaintance  ;  but  that 
they  all  insisted  upon  the  task  as  too  difficult 
and  dano;erous,  on  account  of  the  great  numbers 
of  the  profes5ors  of  idolatry." 

Life  of  Swarlz,  in  Christian  Library,  p.  64. 


CHAPrER   II. 


THE  SUCCESSFUL   PROSECUTION  OF  MIS- 
SlOiSS, 


One  song  employs  all  nations,  and  all  cry 
"  Worthy  thf  Lamb,  for  he  was  slain  for  us." 
The  dwellers  in  the  vales  and  on  the  rocks 
Shout  to  each  other,  and  the  mountain  tops. 
From  distant  mountains,  catch  the  flying  joy : 
Till,  nation  after  nation  taught  the  strain, 
Earth  rolls  the  rapturous  hosanna  round. 

COWPER. 


SECTION    I  . 

The  readiness  of  the  un evangelized  to  receive 
Christian  instruction. 


EFFORTS    OF   THE   MONGOLIANS   TO   OBTALN   THE 
CHRISTIAN   SCRIPTURES. 

The  Eraperor  of  Russia  stated  to  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Stallybrass  &.  Rahm,  at  Moscow,  in 
1818,  that  two  Buriat  noblemen  of  Mongolia, 
men  of  learning,  had  arrived  at  St.  Petersburgh 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  51 

for  the  purpose  of  making  themselves  acquainted 
with  tlie  Bible.  They  had  then  transcribed  the 
Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  from  the  Calmuc  into  the 
Mongolian  dialect.  "  Tims,"  said  the  Emperor, 
**  while  the  Buriats  were  sending  to  Europe  for 
instruction,  you,  in  England,  were  preparing  to 
send  it  to  them." 

An  account  of  the  manner  in  which  these 
persons  were  induced  to  visit  St.  Petersburgh, 
is  obtained  from  a  letter,  written  by  the 
Rev.  Mr,  Schmidt,  Moravian  minister  at  St. 
Petersburgh,  dated  March  7,  1818,  from  which 
letter  the  following  extracts  are  taken. 

"  When  the  tirst  edition  of  the  Gospel  accord- 
ing to  St.  Matthew,  in  the  Calmuc  language, 
was  printed,  copies  of  it  were  sent  for  distribu- 
tion to  the  Russian  governor  of  Siberia.  This 
nobleman  directed  these  books  to  be  circulated 
among  the  Selenginsk  Mongols  and  the  Chorin- 
ian  Buriats,  two  heathen  tribes  in  the  northeast 
of  Russia,  on  the  frontiers  of  China;  requiring 
at  the  same  time  from  the  princes  of  these  peo- 
ple an  opinion  respecting  the  contents.  As  the 
Calmuc  dialect  is  not  generally  understood 
among  them,  this  proved  a  most  difficult  task. 
It  was,  however,  undertaken  by  two  of  their 
Saisangs  or  nobles,  who  applied  themselves  so 
diligently  to  the  work  that  they  were  soon  ena- 


&2  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

bled  generally  to  explain  the  book  to  their  coun- 
trymen. This  excited  so  much  curiosity,  that 
the  head  Lama  of  the  Mongolians,  and  the 
prince  of  the  Chorinian  Buriats,  of  their  own 
accord,  made  a  collection  among  their  people, 
amounting  to  upwards  of  11,000  rubles,  (o£550,) 
which  they  placed  at  the  dis])osal  of  the  Russian 
Bible  Society,  on  condition  that  the  Gospel  of 
St.  Matthew,  and,  if  possible,  other  books  of  the 
New  Testament,  might  be  translated  into  their 
language,  and  printed  in  their  characters. 

This  important  work  was  entrusted  to  the  two 
Saisangs ;  and  they  arrived  at  St.  Petersburgh, 
for  thiVpurpose  of  undertaking  it,  in  Dec.  1817. 
They' commenced  their  labors  with  unbounded 
zeal.  They  visited  me  twice  or  thrice  a  week, 
and  at  each  visit  I  perceived  their  progress,  not 
only  in  the  knowledge,  but  also  in  the  personal 
application  of  the  Gospel. 

They  confess  that  they  have  been  idolaters, 
worshippers  of  Shamdshammi  (the  Chinese  Fo,) 
and  have  studied  the  books  of  that  religion  ;  but 
their  hearts  remained  empty.  *'And  now,  by 
God's  mercy,"  say  they,  '*  we  have  been  chosen 
to  translate  the  Gospel  of  his  Son  into  our  lan- 
guage ;  and  for  this  end  have  been  brought  into 
connexion  with  you.  You  have  illustrated  the 
things,  unintelligible  to  our  darkened  minds,  in 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  53 

a  direct  and  satisfactory  manner.  We  acknowl- 
edge Christ  Jesus  to  be  our  God  and  Savior; 
and  are  determined  to  know  none  other  ;  we 
have  therefore  made  a  resolution  to  leave  our 
former  superstitions,  and  to  adopt  the  Christian 
faith." 

The  following  is  the  translation  of  a  letter 
from  one  of  tliese  Mongolian  nobles  to  the  treas- 
urer of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  dated 
Sept.  1S19,  from  St.  Petersburgh. 

*'  It  is  my  great  desire  to  return  the  expression 
of  your  highly  valued  good  wishes,  communi- 
cated to  me  by  my  brother,  Mr.  Swan.  We  are 
united  together  in  brotherly  affection  by  our 
mutual  desire  to  do  the  will  of  God.  The  bark 
of  lies,  which  formerly  completely  covered  us, 
has  been  peeled  off.  The  all-seeing  God  made 
us  wish  to  come  hither,  and  hither  we  came ; 
and  we  are  now  lying  at  the  feet  of  our  Savior 
Jesus  Christ,  and  in  this  attitude  we  embrace 
him,  and  pray  to  him  always  as  our  only  inter- 
cessor. I  subscribe  myself  with  humility  and 
respect. 

The  Mongolian  Buriat  Saisang, 

Badma  Murchionachi." 

Burder's  Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  251. 

5* 


54 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


THIRTY-SEVEN   GODS   IlExNOUNCED    FOR   ONE. 

In  1646,  Mioksoo,  an  Indian  chief  on  Mar- 
tha's Vineyard,  sent  for  a  converted  Indian,  with 
whom  he  conversed  upon  the  nature  of  Chris- 
tianity. He  asked  him,  among  other  questions, 
how  many  gods  the  English  worshipped  ?  Hia- 
coomes  answered,  one  and  no  more.  Then 
Mioksoo  reckoned  up  about  thirty-seven  princi- 
pal gods  which  he  had  ;  and  shall  I,  said  he, 
throw  away  all  these  thirty-seven  for  the  sake  of 
one  only  ? 

What  do  you  yourself  think  1  said  Hiacoomes: 
for  my  part,  I  have  thrown  away  all  these  and 
many  more,  some  years  ago,  and  yet  am  pre- 
served, as  you  see  this  day. 

You  speak  true,  said  Mioksoo,  and  I  will 
throw  away  all  my  gods  too,  and  serve  that  one 
God  with  you. 

Mayhew'd  Indian  Narratives,  p.  34. 


A   GREENLAND   FAMILY. 

At  an  early  period  of  the  Moravian  missions, 
the  daughter  of  a  Greenlander  was  baptized, 
and  went  to  reside  at  the  missionary  station.  Her 
father  was  highly  displeased.     In  reply  to  his 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  Oi> 

angry  expostulations,  slie  modestly  tokl  him  the 
reasons  of  her  decision,  and  described  the  hap- 
piness of  believers,  and  added — **  So  happy  may 
you  also  be  ;  but  if  you  will  not,  I  cannot  stay 
and  perish  with  you."  This  softened  his  heart, 
and  he  began  to  weep.  He  went  with  her  to 
tlie  missionary,  and  declared  that  his  intention 
now  was,  not  to  take  away  his  daughter  from 
the  baptized,  but  rather  to  go  with  her.  After 
arranging  his  affairs,  he  went  with  his  two  sons 
and  the  rest  of  the  household  to  the  station,  and 
said  to  the  missionaries — '*  Now  I  come  to  you 
also,  and  will  not  leave  you  again.  I  only  wish 
that  the  rest  of  my  children  may  be  baptized,  for 
they  are  young,  and  have  a  desire  after  the 
Savior.  As  to  myself,  I  am  in  a  very  indifferent 
state,  and  am  not  likely  to  come  to  much  ;  but 
yet,  at  lying  down  and  rising  up,  I  call  to  mind 
what  I  have  heard  of  our  Savior.  I  will  live 
and  die  with  you,  for  it  is  very  reviving  to  me 
to  hear  of  our  Savior." 

Ant'cdotes  of  Cliristian  Missions,  p.  148. 


EAGERNESS    OF    SOUTH    SEA    ISLANDERS   TO    OBTAIN 
THE    SCRIPTURES. 

When  the  Gospel  of  Luke  was  first  published 
by  the  English  missionaries  at  the  South  Sea 


56  SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS. 

Islands,  the  demand  for  books  was  far  greater 
than  the  means  of  supply.  The  prhiter  was 
sometimes  under  the  necessity  of  sending  away 
applicants  till  more  books  could  be  prepared. 
On  one  occasion,  five  men,  who  had  come  from 
another  island  for  the  purpose,  applied  for  books 
at  the  close  of  the  day.  The  printer  informed 
them  that  they  could  not  be  supplied  till  the 
next  day,  when  some  copies  would  be  ready  for 
distribution.  He  proposed  to  them  to  spend  the 
night  in  the  next  village. 

Early  in  the  morning,  he  found  the  men  at 
his  door,  where  they  had  spent  the  night,  afraid 
to  leave  the  spot,  lest  all  the  books  should  be 
purchased  before  they  could  obtain  copies. 
They  waited  till  the  books  were  finished,  paid 
for  them,  and  immediately  left  the  island  with 
their  valued  treasure.  It  is  not  known  that  they 
entered  any  house,  or  partook  of  any  refresh- 
ment, on  the  island,  during  their  visit ;  so  intent 
were  they  on  the  single  object  of  possessing  a 
portion  of  the  word  of  God. 

Ellis's  Polynesian  Researches,  vol.  1,  p.  404.     Lond. 


ATTACHMENT  OF  AN  AFRICAN  TO  THE  W^ORD  OF  GOD. 

On  the  arrival  of  two  vessels  at  Demarara, 
from  Dominica,  with  a  great  number  of  slaves, 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  i>7 

amoiifT  wlioni  wore  several  Methodists,  a  native 
female  of  the  latter  place,  on  hearing  of  their 
arrival,  went  on  board  of  one  of  the  vessels. 
As  soon  as  they  saw  her,  they  exclaimed,  "  Here 
are  we ;  we  came  from  de  word  of  God  :  we 
bin  hearing  de  word  of  God  in  Dominica  ;  but 
we  no  know  if  we  hear  de  word  of  God  now. 
Poor  we !  We  no  care  where  dcm  bring  we,  so 
we  hear  de  word  of  God."  On  being  told  they 
would  find  a  chapel  and  missionaries  there,  in  a 
moment  their  sorrow  was  turned  to  joy.  Hail- 
ing those  in  the  other  ships  they  cried  out, 
"  Keep  good  heart,  dere  be  chapel  here." 

Biirilor's  Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  313. 


REMARKABLE  RENUNCIATION  OF   IDOLATRY 

AT  THK  SA.-HDW  ICH    ISLAWDs,  BEFORE  THE   ARRIVAL   OF  MlSSIOtf ARIES. 

Just  at  the  time,  when  the  first  missionaries 
to  those  islands  were  embarking  at  Boston,  to 
the  surprise  of  all  who  had  been  ac(iuaintcd  with 
the  Sandwich  Islanders,  the  government  and  the 
people,  unanimously  or  nearly  so,  determined  to 
abandon  their  idols  and  to  commit  them,  with  all 
tiic  monuments  of  idolatry,  to  the  llames.  This 
was  done  at  Owyhee,  then  at  Oahu,  and  then  at 
Atooi,    with  no   dissent,  much   less    opposition, 


68  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

except  that  in  the  former  of  these  islands,  a 
chief,  of  secondary  influence,  stood  aloof  from 
the  whole  proceeding,  and  preserved  an  idol 
which  had  been  presented  to  him  by  Tamahama. 
Tamoree,  king  of  Atooi,  expressed  a  strong 
desire  that  missionaries  should  come  and  teach 
the  people  to  read  and  write,  as  they  had  done 
in  the  Society  Islands. 

"  The  principal  means  which  Providence 
used  to  bring  about  this  surprising  result,  were 
the  continually  repeated  rumor  of  what  had  been 
done  in  the  Society  islands,  and  the  continually 
repeated  assurance  of  our  sea  captains  and  sail- 
ors that  the  whole  system  of  idolatry  was  fool- 
ish and  stupid.  Thus  has  a  nation  been  in- 
duced to  renounce  its  gods  by  the  influence  of 
Christian  missionaries  who  reside  at  the  distance 
of  nearly  three  thousand  miles  across  the  ocean. 
Thus,  while  the  Gospel  is  becoming  the  power 
of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  to  many  in  the 
islands  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  the  distant  ru- 
mor of  these  blessed  results  has  made  the  idola- 
ters of  the  Northern  Pacific  ashamed  of  their 
mummeries,  and  consigned  to  the  flames  the 
high  places  of  cruelty,  the  altars  and  the  idols 
together." 

Burdcr's  Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  266. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  59 

The  missionaries  wrote  that  they  were  greeted 

on  landing,  with  the  joyful  intelligence — 

**  The  taboos  (pagan  consecrations)  are  bro- 
ken— the  idols  are  burnt — the  moreahs  (places 
of  sacrifice)  are  destroyed,  and  the  priesthood 
abolished."  This  victory  was  achieved  by  that 
arm  alone  which  sustains  the  universe.  He, 
who  in  wisdom  has  ordained  that  no  flesh  should 
glory  in  his  presence,  has  saved  us  from  the 
danger  of  glorying  in  the  triumph,  and  taught  us 
with  adoring  views  of  his  majesty  to  **  stand 
still  and  see  the  salvation  of  God." 

Missionary  Herald,  1821,  p.  111. 


SUCCESS   OF    MISSIONARY   LABORS 

AT  THE  SANDWICH    ISLANDS,  IN  TWO  YEARS  FROM    THEIR  COMMENCB- 
MENT. 

Says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Richards,  of  Lahaina,  in 
his  journal  — 

As  I  was  walking  this  evening,  I  heard  the 
voice  of  prayer  in  six  different  houses,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  rods.  I  think  there  are  now  not 
less  than  fifty  houses  in  Lahaina,  where  the 
morning  and  evening  sacrifice  is  regularly  of- 
fered to  the  true  God.  The  number  is  constantly 
increasing,  and  there  is  now  scarcely  an  hour  in 
the  day  that  I  am  not  interrupted,  in  my  regular 


60 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


employment,  by  calls  of  persons  anxious  to  know 
what  they  may  do  to  be  saved. 

For  four  days  our  house  has  not  been  empty, 
except  while  the  door  has  been  fastened.  When 
I  wake  in  the  morning,  I  find  people  waiting  at 
the  door  to  converse  on  the  truths  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. Soon  Hoapiri,  wife  and  train,  come  and 
spend  the  day  :  and  after  the  door  is  closed  at 
evening,  we  are  interrupted  by  constant  calls, 
and  are  not  unfrequently  awaked  at  midnight  by 
those  who  wish  to  ask  questions.  Houses  for 
prayer  are  multiplying  in  every  part  of  the  vil- 
lage ;  and  the  interest  which  is  manifested  on 
the  concerns  of  eternity,  is  such  as  only  six 
months  ago  I  did  not  expect  would  be  seen,  even 
for  a  whole  generation. 

Again — When  I  walk  out,  at  whatever  time 
of  day  it  may  be,  and  in  whatever  direction,  I 
hear  the  voice  of  prayer,  and  am  accosted  by 
multitudes  and  requested  to  stop  and  give  in- 
structions. When  we  retire  at  night,  we  almost 
uniformly  send  some  from  our  house,  who  are 
anxious  to  receive  instruction,  and  when  we  rise 
in  the  morning,  we  almost  always  find  persons 
waiting  at  the  door  to  see  us. 

Missioiuiry  Herald,  182G,  pp.  148,  149. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  61 

SUCCESS  OF  MISSIONS  AT  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

During  a  period  of  remarkable  attention  to 
religion  at  his  station,  Mr.  Bishop  mentions  this 
cheering  fact : 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  the  services  of  this 
day,  where  I  have  preached  twice  to  a  congre- 
gation of  more  than  ten  thousand  listening  hear- 
ers."    And  he  adds — 

"  Could  you  but  witness,  for  one  day,  the 
order,  the  attention,  the  anxious,  eager  look ; 
and  observe  the  tear  which  starts  in  the  eye  of 
the  tawny,  sunburnt  savage,  and  the  counte- 
nance of  hope  and  joy,  as  he  casts  his  eye  up- 
ward to  heaven,  upon  hearing  the  terms  of  par- 
doning mercy,  your  heart  would  leap  for  joy, 
and  you  would  give  God  thanks  for  having  ever 
put  it  into  the  hearts  of  any  to  come  over  the 
wide  waste  of  water  that  divides  us,  to  preach 
salvation  to  this  people." 

Missionary  Herald,  1827,  p.  208. 


HAPPY    RESULTS    FROM    THE    CIRCULATION    OF    THE 
SCRIPTURES    IN   CEYLON. 

Said  the  Rev.  W.  B.  Fox,  in  an  address  be- 
fore the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society — 

"  I  beg  to  relate  one  very  striking  circum- 
stance respecting  the  first  labors  of  this  Society 
6 


62  SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS. 

in  Ceylon.  Three  hundred  copies  of  St.  Mat- 
thew were  circulated,  and  one  of  them  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  second  person  in  the  island  : 
he  was  one  who  had  ridden  on  the  white  ele- 
phant, and  had  been  raised  to  the  highest  hon- 
ors in  the  Buddhist  priesthood.  It  is  usual  in 
Ceylon  to  hold  a  great  feast  three  times  a  year, 
at  which  are  read  the  Buddhist  writings  of  the 
five  hundred  and  fifty  transmigrations  :  one  of 
these  is  read  by  the  chief  person  as  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  business  of  the  day.  The  individual 
referred  to,  having  obtained  the  Gospel  of  St. 
Matthew,  had  read  it  and  was  struck  with  it : 
and  on  one  of  these  occasions  he  read  the  Gos- 
pel before  the  meeting,  instead  of  the  Buddhist 
writings.  This  gentleman  has  become  a  cler- 
gyman of  the  Established  Church. 

Missionary  Herald,  1826,  p.  281. 


SUCCESS   OF   MISSIONARY  LABORS  IN  CEYLON. 

During  a  remarkable  eff'usion  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  the  several  stations  on  this  island, 
the  following  scene  occurred  at  Panditeripo. 

On  the  12th  of  February,  1824,  while  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Scudder  were  absent,  and  after  the 
boys  of  the  boarding  school  had  gone  to  their 
room,  and  were  about  to  lie   down   to   sleep, 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  63 

Whelpley,  (a  native  member  of  the  church,)  was 
induced  to  exhort  them,  most  earnestly,  to  flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come.  They  were  roused  and 
could  not  sleep.  By  little  companies,  they  went 
out  into  the  garden  to  pray,  and  the  voice  of 
supplication  was  soon  heard  in  every  quarter, 
each  one  or  each  company  praying  and  weeping 
as  if  entirely  alone.  More  than  thirty  were  thus 
engaged  in  a  small  garden.  The  cry  was, 
*'  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved,"  and  "  Lord  send 
thy  spirit."  In  about  an  hour  Dr.  Scudder  re- 
turned, and  after  waiting  awhile,  rang  the  bell 
for  the  boys  to  come  in.  They  came,  and  with 
weeping  proposed  the  inquiry,  "  What  shall  we 
do  to  be  saved?"  The  next  day  they  seemed 
unmindful  of  every  thing  but  the  salvation  of 
their  souls.  And  soon,  under  the  judicious  in- 
structions they  received,  more  than  twenty  at 
this  place  gave  encouraging  evidence  of  conver- 
sion. This  was  a  specimen  of  the  displays  of 
divine  mercy  witnessed  at  the  several  stations  of 

the  mission.  Missionary  Herald,  1825,  p.  28. 


RESULTS   OF  THE  DONATION   OF  A  NEW-TESTAMENT 
TO   A   VILLAGE  IN  INDIA. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Ward,  as  he  passed  through  a 
village  opposite  Calcutta,  left  at  a  native  shop  a 


64  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

Bengalee  New  Testament,  that  it  might  be  read 
by  any  who  chose  to  read  it  in  the  village. 
About  a  year  afterward,  three  or  four  of  the 
most  intelligent  of  the  inhabitants  went  to  Se- 
rampore  to  inquire  farther  respecting  the  con- 
tents of  the  book  left  in  their  possession.  The 
result  was  that  six  or  eight  of  them  soon  made  a 
public  profession  of  Christianity. 

Among  these,  three  deserve  a  particular  no- 
tice. One  was  an  old  man,  named  Juggernath, 
who  had  been  long  a  devotee  to  the  idol  of  that 
name  in  Orissa,  had  made  many  pilgrimages 
thither,  and  had  acquired  such  a  name  for  sanc- 
tity, that  a  rich  man  in  Orissa  was  said  to  have 
offered  him  a  pension  for  life,  on  condition  of  his 
remaining  with  him.  On  his  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  the  New  Testament,  he  first  hung 
his  image  of  Juggernath,  which  he  had  hitherto 
worshipped,  on  a  tree  in  his  garden,  and  at 
length  cleft  it  up  to  boil  his  rice.  He  remained 
steadfast  in  his  profession  of  Christianity  till  his 
death,  which  happened  about  eight  years  after. 
The  two  others,  Kishnoo-das  and  Sebeck-ram, 
men  of  superior  natural  endowments,  published 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity  to  their  countrymen 
in  the  most  fearless  manner,  while  at  the  same 
time,  their  demeanor  was  such  as  to  secure  uni- 
versal esteem.     Kishnoo-das   died   rejoicing  in 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  65 

Jesus  Christ,  as  tlie  Redeemer  of  men,  about 
five  years  ago,  [this  narrative  was  made  in  lS-2'i,] 
and  Sebeck-ram  is  now  a  member  of  the  cliurch 
meeting  in  the  Loll-Bazar,  and  resides  in  liis 
native  vilhige  opposite  Calcutta,  where,  and  in 
the  different  parts  of  Calcutta,  he  explains  the 
Scriptures  to  many  who  resort  to  him. 

Letter  from  Dr.  Marshman,  in  Missionary  Heraitl,  ]823,  p.  292. 


DECLINE  OF  IDOLATRY   IN   INDIA. 

We  find  in  a  German  paper,  says  the  Archives 
flu  Christianisme,  some  interesting  details  re- 
specting the  decline  of  idolatry  in  the  East  Indies. 
Scarcely  any  new  idolatrous  temples  are  erected; 
for  one  that  is  built,  sixty  go  to  ruin.  Another 
fact,  not  less  remarkable,  is,  that  the  seminaries 
in  which  the  sacred  books  of  Brahminism  are 
studied,  are  more  and  more  neglected,  and  that 
many  of  them  have  been  shut  up  for  want  of  pu- 
pils. The  two  most  celebrated  ones,  Nodea  and 
Santapore,  where  formerly  they  had  from  three 
thousand  to  Ave  thousand  students,  have  not  at 
present  more  than  three  or  four  hundred.  An 
inquiry  into  the  causes  of  this  decline  has  been 
instituted  ;  and  it  is  attributed  chiefly  to  the  dis- 
credit into  which  Brahminism  has  fallen.  Fi- 
nally, as  a  third  characteristic  of  the  times,  the 
6* 


66  **  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

Brahmins  themselves  are  losing  much  of  their 
influence  with  the  people ;  their  curses,  formerly 
so  terrible  and  so  much  feared,  no  longer  excite 
more  than  slight  apprehensions  in  the  minds  of 
most  natives.  There  are  hundreds  of  Brahmins 
who  have  renounced  the  priesthood,  and  devoted 
themselves  to  worldly  pursuits,  because  religious 
services  no  longer  obtain  for  them  the  means  of 
living. 

What  indications  of  a  hastening  change  in  the 
religious  state  of  that  vast  country  ! 

Vermont  Chronicle. 


REFLECTIONS   OF  A   SOUTH   AFRICAN, 

EXCITED    BY    CHRISTIAN    INSTRUCTION. 

Bailey,  a  Griqua,  in  South  Africa,  stated  that 
the  first  thinff  which  led  him  to  think  of  religion 
was  the  giving  of  thanks  at  eating  by  the  Hot- 
tentots of  the  Zak  river  mission.  *'  I  went," 
said  he,  "  afterwards  to  that  settlement,  where  I 
heard  many  things,  but  felt  no  interest  in  them. 
But  one  day,  when  alone  in  the  fields,  I  looked 
very  seriously  at  a  mountain,  as  the  work  of  that 
God,  of  whom  I  had  heard ,  then  I  looked  at  my 
two  hands,  and  for  the  first  time  noticed  that 
there  was  the  same  number  of  fingers  on  each. 
I  asked,  why  are  there  not  five  on  this  hand  and 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  67 

three  on  that  ?  It  must  be  God  that  made  them 
so.  Then  I  examined  my  feet,  and  wondered 
to  find  the  soles  both  flat,  not  one  flat  and  the 
other  round.  God  must  have  done  this,  said  I. 
In  this  way  I  considered  my  whole  body,  which 
made  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind,  and  dis- 
posed me  to  hear  the  word  of  God  with  more 
interest,  till  I  was  brought  to  trust  that  Jesus 
died  for  my  sins." 

Anecdotes'  by  Loiuloii  Tract  Soc.  p.  03. 


TL'AUL\E,   A   DTSTRESt-ED   IXQUIRER. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Orsmond,  a  missionary  in  the 
South  Seas,  gives  the  following  interesting  ac- 
count : 

A  short  time  since,  a  young  man  named  Tua- 
hine,  came  loitering  about  my  house  in  an  unu- 
sual way.  Knowing  him  to  be  one  of  the  baser 
sort,  I  said,  "  Friend,  have  you  any  business 
with  me?"  Tears  gushed  into  his  eyes;  he 
could  at  first  hardly  speak  ;  at  length  he  replied, 
"  You  know  I  am  a  wicked  man.  Shame  cov- 
ers my  face  and  holds  me  back.  To-day  I  have 
broke  through  all  fear.  I  want  to  know,  is  there 
room  forme?  Can  I  expect  mercy?"  I  said, 
"  How  came  you  to  have  such  a  thought  as 
that?"     His  countenance  blushed ;  tears  started 


bo  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

from  his  eyes,  and  he  said,  "  I  was  at  work,  put- 
ting up  my  garden  fence.  It  was  a  long,  hard 
work,  and  only  myself  to  do  it.  All  over  dirt 
and  greatly  wearied,  I  sat  down  on  a  little  bank 
to  rest,  and  said  within  myself,  I  cannot  tell 
why,  '  All  this  great  garden,  and  death  for  my 
soul ;  all  this  great  property,  and  death  forever  ! 
Oh,  what  shall  I  do?'  I  went  immediately  and 
bathed  ;  then  went  to  my  wife,  and  told  her  my 
thoughts  and  wishes ;  she  agreed  to  my  desire, 
and  we,  on  that  evening,  left  our  work,  and 
came  to  this  place,  where  the  word  of  God  lives, 
and  I  have  been  wishing  to  speak  to  you  ever 
since."  I  was  quite  affected  to  hear  his  tale, 
gave  him  all  the  instruction  and  encouragement 
which  I  conceived  that  the  Scriptures  warranted, 
and  am  happy  to  say,  that  the  man  continues  to 
live  happily  and  worthy  of  the  Gospel, 

Anecdotes  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc.  p.  66. 


THRILLING  APPEAL   FROM   THE   BURMAN    MISSION. 

Dr.  Judson  thus  wrote,  under  date  of  Rangoon, 
March  4,  1831,  describing  the  eagerness  with 
which  applications  were  made  for  tracts. 

The  great  annual  festival  is  just  past,  during 
which  multitudes  come  from  the  remotest  parts 
of  the  country  to  worship  at  the  great  Shway 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  69 

Dagong  Pagoda  in  this  place,  where  it  is  be- 
lieved that  several  real  hairs  of  Gaudaina  are 
enshrined.  During  this  festival  I  have  given 
away  nearly  10,000  tracts,  giving  to  none  but 
those  who  ask.  I  presume  there  have  been  six 
thousand  applicants  at  the  house.  Some  come 
two  or  three  months'  journey,  from  the  borders 
of  Siam  and  China.  "  Sir,  we  hear  that  there 
is  an  eternal  hell,"  is  their  appeal ;  ''  we  are 
afraid  of  it.  Do  give  us  a  writing  that  will  tell 
us  how  to  escape  it."  Others  come  from 
the  frontiers  of  Cassay,  a  hundred  miles  north 
of  Ava.  "  Sir,  we  have  seen  a  writing  that 
tells  us  about  an  eternal  God.  Are  you  the 
man  that  gives  away  such  writings  1  If  so,  pray 
give  us  one,  for  we  want  to  know  the  truth  before 
we  die."  Others  come  from  the  interior  of  the 
country,  where  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a 
little  known.  "Are  you  Jesus  Christ's  man? 
Give  us  a  writing  that  tells  about  Jesus  Christ." 
Brother  Bonnet  works  day  and  night  at  the 
press,  but  he  is  unable  to  supply  us.  The  fact 
is  that  we  are  very  weak,  and  have  to  complain 
that  hitherto  we  have  not  been  well  supported 
from  home.  It  is  most  distressing  to  find,  when 
wo  are  almost  worn  out,  and  are  sinking,  one 
after  another,  into  tlie  grave,  that  many  of  our 
brethren  in  Christ  at  home  are  just  as  hard  and 


70  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

immovable  as  rocks,  just  as  cold  and  repulsive 
as  the  mountains  of  ice  in  the  pciar  seas. 

Seventh  Ann.  Rep.  of  the  Am.  Tract  Soc.  p.  42. 


HAPPY   INFLUENCE   OF  A  COPY   OF  THE   NEW-TESTA- 
MENT. 

About  the  year  1820,  a  number  of  persons 
were  found  in  a  few  villages  near  Dacca,  in 
India,  who  had  forsaken  idolatry,  and  who  con- 
stantly refused  to  render  to  the  Brahmins  the 
customary  honors.  They  were  said  also  to  be 
remarkable  for  the  correctness  of  their  conduct, 
and  particularly  for  their  adherence  to  truth. 
They  were  the  followers  of  no  particular  leader, 
but  from  their  professing  to  be  in  search  of  a 
true  Gooroo  or  teacher,  they  were  termed  Sutya- 
Gooroos.  It  was  said  that  they  had  derived  all 
their  principles  from  a  book  which  was  carefully 
preserved  in  one  of  their  villages. 

Some  native  Christians  resolved  to  visit  the 
sect  of  whom  they  had  heard  so  many  remarka- 
ble particulars.  The  singular  book  from  which 
their  principles  were  derived,  was  exhibited  to 
the  visiters.  It  was  much  worn,  and  was  pre- 
served in  a  case  of  metal  resembling  brass. 
Whence  it  came  no  one  could  tell.  On  exam- 
ination, it  was  found  to  be  a  copy  of  the  first 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  71 

edition  of  the  Bengalee  New  Testament,  printed 
at  Serampore  in  1800.  This  copy  of  a  part  of 
the  sacred  volume  seemed  to  have  prepared  thus 
many  inhabitants  scattered  through  ten  or  twelve 
villages,  to  receive  religious  instruction  from 
missionaries  who  afterwards  labored  among  them 
with  success. 

Letter  from  Rev.  Dr.  Marshman,  in  Miss.  Herald,  for  1823,  p.  292. 


EXTENSIVE  INTEREST  A  WEAKENED  BY  THE  DISTRIBU- 
TION OF  THE  NEW-TESTAMENT. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Fisher,  a  chaplain  in  Bengal, 
relates  the  following  circumstances  respecting  a 
number  of  Hindoos  who  were  associated  together 
for  the  purpose  of  acquainting  themselves  with 
the  truths  of  Christianity,  in  the  year  1818. 

It  was  reported  that  a  number  of  strangers 
from  several  villages  had  assembled  in  a  ^ope, 
near  Delhi,  and  were  busily  employed,  appa- 
rently in  friendly  conversation,  and  in  reading 
some  books  in  their  possession,  whicli  had  in- 
duced them  to  renounce  caste,  to  bind  them- 
selves to  love  and  associate  with  one  another, 
and  to  intermarry  only  with  their  own  sect,  and 
to  lead  a  strict  and  holy  life.  A  convert  em- 
ployed by  Mr.  Fisher  visited  the  spot,  and  found 
about  five  hundred  people,  men,   women,   and 


72  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

children,  seated  under  the  shade  of  the  trees, 
employed  in  reading  and  conversation.  He  ac- 
costed an  elderly  man,  and  said,  "  Pray  who  are 
all  these  people,  and  whence  came  they?"  "We 
are  all  poor  and  lowly,  and  read  and  love  this 
book."  "  But  what  is  this  book?"  "  The  book 
of  God."  "  Pray  let  me  look  at  it,  if  you  please." 
It  proved  to  be  the  New  Testament,  in  the  Hin- 
doostanee  tongue,  many  copies  of  which  seemed 
to  be  in  their  possession,  some  printed  and  oth- 
ers written  by  themselves.  The  visiter  pointed 
out  the  name  of  Jesus  in  one  of  the  copies,  and 
inquired,  "Who  is  that?"  "That  is  God.  He 
gave  us  this  book."  "  When  did  you  obtain  it  ?" 
"An  angel  from  heaven  gave  it  to  us."  "An 
angel  ?"  "  Yes — to  us  he  was  an  angel — but  he 
was  a  man,  a  learned  pundit."  A  public  reader 
appears  to  have  been  selected  by  themselves  for 
the  express  purpose  of  reading  this  miraculous 
book ;  and  their  evenings  have  been  habitually 
spent  for  many  months  in  this  blessed  employ- 
ment, crowds  gathering  to  hear  God's  book. 
The  ignorance  and  simplicity  of  many  of  them 
were  very  striking.  They  had  never  heard  be- 
fore of  a  printed  book.  All  united  in  acknowl- 
edging the  superiority  of  the  doctrine  of  this 
book  to  every  thing  they  had  hitherto  heard  or 
known.     An  indifference  to  the  doctrine  of  caste 


SUCCESS   OP   MISSIONS.  40 

soon  manifested  itself,  and  the  interference  and 
tyrannical  authority  of  the  Brahmins  became  in- 
creasingly olfensive.  At  last  it  was  agreed  to 
separate  themselves  from  the  rest  of  their  Hin- 
doo brethren,  and  to  establish  a  fraternity  of 
their  own,  choosing  four  or  five,  who  could  read 
the  best,  to  be  public  teachers.  The  number 
daily  and  rapidly  increasing,  especially  among 
the  poor,  a  public  meeting  was  deemed  neces- 
sary, to  which  all  their  congenial  associates, 
were  invited.  A  large  grove  near  Delhi  was 
selected  for  the  purpose,  and  this  interesting 
group  had  now  met  for  the  first  time.  They 
seemed  to  have  no  particular  form  of  worship, 
but  each  individual  made  daily  and  diligent 
use  of  the  Lord's  prayer.  They  resolved  to 
hold  such  a  protracted  meeting  once  a  year. 

It  was  found  that  this  remarkable  interest 
among  so  large  a  group  of  inquirers  was  awak- 
ened by  the  distribution  of  some  New  Testa- 
ments at  Hurdwar. 

PanopIiBt,  1818.  p.  236. 


74  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

SECTION    II. 
TJie   more   indirect  benefits    of  Missions. 

THE  RIGHTS   OF  A  POOR  MAN  PROTECTED. 

In  the  autumn  of  1822,  the  queen  of  Tahiti, 
visited  Huahine.  Her  attendants  requiring  a 
piece  of  timber,  she  directed  them  to  cut  down 
a  bread-fruit  tree,  growing  near  by,  in  the  gar- 
den of  a  poor  man.  Her  orders  were  obeyed. 
Teuke,  the  owner  of  the  tree,  discovered  upon 
his  return  in  the  evening  that  his  premises  had 
been  invaded  and  his  tree  destroyed.  Having 
ascertained  that  the  queen's  men  had  committed 
the  trespass,  he  repaired  to  the  magistrate  of 
the  district  and  lodged  a  complaint  against  her 
majesty.  He  was  ordered  to  appear  at  the 
place  of  public  justice  the  following  morning  at 
sunrise,  to  substantiate  his  charge.  The  queen 
was  also  summoned.  The  next  morning,  the 
missionary,  residing  there,  went  down  to  wit- 
ness the  proceeding.  As  the  sun  rose  above  the 
horizon,  Ori,  the  magistrate,  was  seen  sitting  in 
the  open  air,  beneath  the  spreading  branches  of 
a  venerable  tree.     On  a  finely  woven  mat.  be- 


SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS.  75 

fore  him,  sat  the  queen,  attended  by  her  train. 
Beside  her  stood  the  native  peasant,  and  around 
them  all,  what  may  be  termed  the  police  offi- 
cers. Turning  to  Teuke,  the  magistrate  in- 
quired for  what  purpose  they  had  been  con- 
vened. The  poor  man  said,  that  in  his  garden 
there  grew  a  bread-fruit  tree,  whose  shade  was 
grateful  to  the  inmates  of  his  cottage,  and  whose 
fruit,  with  that  of  those  which  grew  around, 
supported  his  family  for  five  or  seven  months  in 
every  year,  but  that  yesterday  some  one  had  cut 
it  down,  as  he  had  been  informed,  by  order  of 
the  queen.  He  knew  that  they  had  laws,  he 
had  thought  those  laws  protected  the  poor  man's 
property,  as  well  as  that  of  kings  and  chiefs;  and 
he  wished  to  know,  whether  it  was  right  that, 
without  his  knowledge  or  consent,  the  tree 
should  have  been  cut  down. 

The  magistrate,  turning  to  the  queen,  asked 
if  she  had  ordered  the  tree  to  be  cut  down. 
She  answered,  "Yes."  He  then  asked  if  she 
did  not  know  that  they  had  laws.  She  said 
**Yes,"  but  that  she  was  not  aware  they  applied 
to  her.  The  magistrate  asked,  "If  in  those 
laws  (a  copy  of  which  he  held  in  his  hands,) 
there  were  any  exceptions  in  favor  of  chiefs  or 
kings,  or  queens."  She  answered,  "No;"  and 
despatched  one  of  her   attendants  to  her  house, 


76  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

who  soon  returned  with  a  bag  of  dollars,  which 
she  threw  down  before  the  poor  man,  as  a  rec- 
ompense for  his  loss.  ''Stop,"  said  the  justice, 
"we  have  not  done  yet."  The  queen  began  to 
weep.  "Do  you  think  it  right  that  you  should 
have  cut  down  the  tree  without  asking  the  own- 
er's permission?"  "It  was  not  right,"  replied 
the  queen.  Then,  turning  to  the  poor  man,  he 
asked,  "What  renumeration  do  you  require?" 
Teuke  answered.  "If  the  queen  is  convinced 
that  it  was  not  right  to  take  a  little  man's  tree, 
without  his  permission,  I  am  sure  she  will  not 
do  so  again.  I  am  satisfied,  I  require  no  oth- 
er recompense."  His  disinterestedness  was 
applauded,  the  assembly  dispersed;  and  after- 
wards, J  think,  the  queen  sent  him  privately  a 
present  equal  to  the  value  of  his  tree. 

Ellis's,  Polynesian  Researches,  vol.  2.  p.  458.  Lend. 


A  DISCOURSE    ON  THEFT    LEADS    TO  THE  RESTITU- 
TION  OF  PILFERED   PROPERTY. 

Mr.  Nott,  missionary  at  Tahiti,  preached 
from  the  text,  "Let  him  that  stole,  steal  no 
more,"  The  next  morning,  when  he  opened 
his  door,  he  saw  a  number  of  the  natives  sitting 
on  the  ground  before  his  dwelling.  He  request- 
ed an  explanation  of  this  singular  circumstance. 


SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS.  77 

They  answered,  "we  have  not  been  able  to 
sleep  all  night;  we  were  in  the  chapel  yester- 
day: we  thought,  when  we  were  pagans,  that  it 
was  right  to  steal  when  we  could  do  it  without 
being  found  out.  Iliro,  the  god  of  thieves,  used 
to  assist  us.  But  we  heard  what  you  said  yes- 
terday from  the  word  of  God,  that  Jehovah  had 
commanded  that  we  should  not  steal.  We  have 
Stolen,  and  all  these  things  that  we  have  brought 
with  us  are  stolen  goods".  One  then  lifted  up 
an  axe,  a  hatchet,  or  a  chisel,  and  exclaimed. 
*'I  stole  this  from  the  carpenter  of  such  a  ship," 
naming  the  vessel,  others  held  up  an  umcti,  or 
a  saw  or  a  knife;  and  indeed  almost  every  kind 
of  moveable  property,  was  brought  and  exhibited 
with  such  confessions.  Mr.  Nott,  proposed 
that  they  should  take  the  plundered  property 
home  and  restore  it,  when  an  opportunity  should 
occur,  to  its  lawful  owners.  They  all  said,  "O 
no,  we  cannot  take  them  back,  we  have  had  no 
peace  ever  since  we  heard  it  was  displeasing  to 
God,  and  we  shall  have  no  peace  so  long  as  they 
remain  in  our  dwellings;  we  wish  you  to  take 
them,  and  give  them  back  to  the  owners  when- 
ever they  come." 

Ellis's,  Polyucsian  Researches,  vol.  2.  p.  323.  Lond. 

*7 


78  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


CHRISTIANITY  IMPARTS  A  THIRST  FOR  INSTRUCTION, 

TO     THE     ISLANDERS     OF    THE     PACIFIC     OCEAN. 

It  is  a  fact,  that  never  till  religion  had  im- 
pressed their  heart  did  knowledge  enter  their 
minds;  that  they  would  neither  labor  nor  learn 
till  they  became  interested  in  the  facts,  and 
moved  by  the  inducements  of  the  Gospel,  and 
that  it  was  the  wonders  of  the  cross,  and  the 
verities  of  eternity,  that  fixed  their  vagrant  at- 
tention; and  that,  till  they  felt  something  of  the 
power  of  these,  they  could  not  be  made  to  com- 
prehend, or  to  put  forth  one  effort  to  comprehend 
the  letters  of  the  Alphabet. 

Rev.  J.  A.  James,  of  Birmingham. 


ERRORS  IN   PAGAN  ASTRONOMY,  CORRECTED  IN 
CEYLON. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1829,  much  excite- 
ment was  awakened  in  the  village  of  Batticotta, 
in  Ceylon,  by  an  approaching  eclipse  of  the 
moon.  The  calculations  of  the  Cingalese  as- 
tronomers, and  those  of  the  missionaries,  as  to 
the  precise  commencement  and  duration  of  the 
eclipse,  were  known  to  differ  materially  enough 
to  involve  their  character  as  correct  astrono- 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  79 

mors.  And  tlie  comparative  claims  of  Hiiidoo- 
ism  and  Christianity  were  to  be  affected  by  the 
result. 

One  of  the  learned  natives,  the  pandarum, 
went  from  place  to  place,  to  awaken  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people  to  the  decisive  evidence,  that 
was  about  to  be  given,  of  the  superiority  of  the 
Hindoo  to  the  Christian  religion.  He  was  so 
confident  that  the  calculations  of  the  native 
almanac  would  be  confirip.ed,  as  to  say  that  he 
would  venture  to  be  whipped,  if  they  were  not 
correct.  And  he  intended,  as  soon  as  the  case 
was  determined,  to  have  it  published  in  triumph 
through  the  district. 

The  scholars,  under  Christian  instruction  in 
the  Seminary,  were  perplexed  at  the  confident 
assertions  of  the  native  astronomers.  They 
would  find  it  difficult  on  the  one  hand,  to  admit 
that  their  learned  men  were  in  an  error,  and  on 
the  other,  they  would  be  unable  to  bear  the 
taunts  and  jeers,  which  they  must  expect,  if 
the  calculations  of  the  missionaries  proved  in- 
correct. 

As  the  time  of  the  eclipse  drew  on,  the  ex- 
citement deepened.  The  pandarum,  and  many 
others  were  at  the  station,  waiting  the  arrival 
of  the  eventful  period.  It  was  feared  that  a 
small  cloud,  that  rose  just  before  the  time  of  the 


80  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

eclipse,  would  conceal  the  moon  from  view  dur- 
ing the  time  of  observation.  But  it  passed 
away  at  length,  in  time  to  shew  the  moon  par- 
tially eclipsed.  Still  however,  the  pandarum 
insisted  that  the  cloud  occasioned  the  appear- 
ance which  the  moon  presented.  It  had  been 
contended  by  the  native  astronomers  that  the 
eclipse  would  not  commence  until  24  minutes 
after  6.  P.  M.  The  calculation  of  the  mission- 
aries fixed  the  commencement  at  9  minutes 
after  6.  It  was  evident  to  all  at  12  minutes 
after  6,  that  the  eclipse  had  commenced  some 
minutes  previously.  For  a  short  time  after  this 
discovery,  the  pandarum  was  silent,  but  at  length 
he  began  to  abuse,  in  strong  terms,  the  native 
astronomers,  saying,  ''they  have  hitherto  im- 
posed on  the  people,  &/C." 

Thus  does  science  augment  the  usefulness  of 
the  missionary. 

Missionary  Herald,  1830.  p.  170. 


OPPOSITION  DISARMED   BY  CHRISTIAN  MILDNESS. 

Mr.  Lacey,  Baptist  missionary  in  India  de- 
scribes an  interview  with  an  opposer,  thus — 

He  came  up  to  me,  a  violent  opponent,  and 
spoke  very  severely  and  angrily.  I  gave  him 
time  to  cool  and  spend  all  his  fury,  and  then 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  81 

as  affectionately  as  I  could,  asked  him  several 
questions,  such  as  these;  "My  dear  brotlier,  I 
am  come  hither  to  preach  good  tidings  to  you, 
I  love  your  soul  and  desire  your  happiness.  I 
do  not  want  to  blaspheme  your  gods,  or  give 
you  any  sorrow;  and  therefore,  why  are  you 
angry  with  me?  I  do  not  want  you  to  believe, 
if  what  I  say  is  not  true.  But,  brother,  what  is 
truth?  How  shall  we  obtain  pardon?  How  shall 
I  get  to  Heaven?  You  have  praised  your  wise 
men;  but  are  they  not  divided  in  their  opinion? 
One  says,  I  must  do  this;  another,  the  other: 
and  as  many  fathers,  so  many  are  their  ways. 
And  as  are  your  wise  men,  so  are  your  Brah- 
mins. One  says,  "Go  to  Juggernaut,"  another 
says,  "Go  to  Gunga  sauger,"  another  sends  me 
to  Benares,  another  to  bathe,  another  to  count 
beads,  another  sets  me  to  worship  himself! 
Now,  brother,  what  shall  I  do?  Whither  shall 
I  go?     There  is  only  one  way,  which  is  it? 

The  poor  man  could  say  no  more,  but  stood 
speechless.  I  let  him  stand  a  few  minutes,  and 
saw  the  tears  starting  from  his  eyes,  and  was 
about  to  declare  to  him  the  only  true  way,  when 
his  friends,  seeing  his  situation,  forcibly  drag- 
ged him  away. 

Missionary  Herald,  18-^9.  p.  KiO 


82  SUCCESS  or  missions. 

A   MOHAMMEDAN  SHAKEN   IN  HIS   BELIEF. 

Mr.  Buckingham,  in  his  travels,  relates  the 
following  anecdote,  to  confirm  the  supposition, 
that  the  extension  of  commercial  intercourse 
will  lead  to  the  dissemination  of  knowledge,  and 
the  blessings  of  true  religion;  and  equally  does 
it  prove  the  tendency  of  religion  to  expand  the 
mind.  Happening  to  be  travelling  with  a  cara- 
van to  Judda  and  Mecca,  on  the  way  down,  I 
was  a  good  deal  in  the  society  of  an  intelligent 
Mohammedan  merchant,  a  native  of  Fez,  the 
capital  of  Morocco.  His  having  come  from  the 
western  extremity  of  Africa,  to  visit  the  "Holy 
City,"  was  a  sufficient  proof  that  he  was  a  zeal- 
ous and  staunch  believer  in  the  Mohammedan 
doctrine.  Having  ascertained  that  he  would 
listen,  without  being  offended,  to  any  objections 
I  might  make  to  his  religion,  I  asked  him  if  it 
had  never  occurred  to  him,  that  his  religion 
was  not  intended  to  be  universal,  and  that  it 
could  not  possibly  be  universally  adopted.  He 
replied,  that  it  never  had  occurred  to  him;  and 
that,  could  this  be  proved,  it  would  shake  his 
confidence  in  the  origin  of  his  religion,  since  it 
was  impossible  that  it  could  be  divine,  were  it 
not  of  universal  application,  as  it  would  be  hard 
indeed,  to  require  that  all   mankind  should  do 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  83 

that  which  was  only  practicable  to  a  part. 
**VVell,"  1  replied,  "You  Mohainiiiedans  are  as 
ignorant  of  geography  as  you  are  of  most  other 
things,  otherwise  you  would  know  that  there 
are  countries  where  there  is  light  six  months  in 
the  year,  and  darkness  the  other  six;  in  other 
words,  the  sun  is  six  months  above  the  horizon 
without  setting,  and  six  months  below  it  with- 
out rising,  so  that  there  is  but  one  day  and  one 
night  in  the  year.  Now  every  Mohammedan  is 
expressly  enjoined,  during  the  Ramadan,  to 
abstain  from  every  article  of  meat  and  drink, 
from  the  rising  to  the  setting  of  the  sun;  an  in- 
junction, the  fulfilment  of  which,  in  the  coun- 
tries I  have  named,  is  plainly  impossible."  He 
said  it  was  impossible  there  should  be  such  a 
country;  but,  I  having  demonstrated  the  fact  to 
him,  the  argument  had  such  an  effect  upon  him, 
that,  instead  of  proceeding  to  the  temple  at 
Mecca,  the  object  of  his  long  and  wearisome 
pilgrimage,  he  stopped  at  Jedda,  transacted  his 
business  there,  returned  to  Fez,  and  never  went 
to  Mecca  at  all. 

Anecdotes,  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc'y.  p.  52. 


AN    AFRICAN    CONVINCED    OF    THE    TRUTH    OF  THE 
SCIUPTURES. 

A  few  years  ago,  a  young  African,  addressed 
Mr.  Johnson,   a   missionary,   in  language  like 


S4  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

this, — ''Massa,  them  words  you  talk  last  night, 
strike  me  very  much  When  you  preach,  you 
read  the  15th  and  16th  verses  of  the  44th  Chap- 
ter of  Isaiah,  and  explain  them,  you  shew  me 
how  our  country  people  stand."  Me  say,  "Ah! 
who  tell  massa  all  this?  He  never  been  in  my 
country."  You  say,  **Do  not  your  country  peo- 
ple live  in  that  fashion?"  I  say,  *'  yes,  that  true: 
God  knows  all  things:  He  put  them  things  in  the 
Bible."  Massa,  I  so  sure  that  the  Bible  is 
God's  word,  for  man  cannot  put  all  them  things 
there  because  he  no  see  it.  That  time  I  live  in 
my  country,  I  live  with  a  man  what  make  grce- 
gree.  He  take  me  into  the  bush,  and  teach  me 
to  make  greegree  too.  He  shew  me  one  tree; 
he  say,  that  greegree  tree;  he  take  country-axe, 
and  cut  some  of  that  tree:  he  make  a  god:  and 
he  take  the  leaves,  and  that  which  was  left,  and 
give  me  to  carry  home.  When  we  come  home, 
he  make  a  fire;  and  all  the  people  come  and  sit 
round  the  fire.  Then  they  cook  and  eat.  When 
they  done  eat,  the  man  take  the  leaves  of  the 
gree-gree  tree  and  burn  them  in  the  fire,  and 
then  all  the  people  stand  round  the  fire  and  clap 
their  hands  and  cry.  Aha!  Aha!  Massa,  when 
you  read  that  verse  (Isa.  xliv.  16.)  I  can't  tell 
you  what  I  feel.  You  then  begin  to  talk  about 
the  text  (verse  20)  *he  feedeth  on  ashes,'  and  I 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  85 

was  Struck  again;  for  when  they  done  cry,  Aha! 
Aha!  they  take  the  ashes  and  make  medicine 
they  give  to  the  people  when  they  be  sick.  You 
ben  see  some  greegree  which  look  like  dirt! 
that  is  the  same  ashes:  they  carry  that  round 
them  neck  and  they  eat  it  sometimes.  You  see, 
massa,  our  poor  countrymen  feed  upon  ashes. 
For  true,  the  Bible  God's  word. 

AiiecdotCT,  by  Lotid.  Tract  Soc'y,  p.  8G. 


A  PAGAN    CONVINCED    OF   THE    ERRONEOUSNESS  OF 
IDOLATRY. 

The  following  conversation  was  held  between 
a  very  affluent  Chinese,  and  Mr.  Supper,  mis- 
sionary to  Java. 

Missionary.  *'You  believe,  by  the  doctrines 
of  Confucius,  that  there  is  but  one  God.  Why 
then  do  you  worship  idols?" 

Chinese.  **Yes,  but  God  is  too  far  above  us. 
we  dare  not  address  ourselves  to  Him,  without 
the  intervention  of  demi-gods." 

* 'Should  we  not  call  God  our  common  Fa- 
ther?" 

"Yes." 

"And  place  confidence  in  Him?" 

"Most  assuredly." 

"Are  not  you  the  father  of  five  sons?" 
8 


Ob  SUUCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

"Yes." 

"Suppose  three  of  your  sons  took  it  into  their 
heads  to  paint  images  upon  paper,  or  carve  upon 
wood,  and  when  they  were  finished,  to  pay  them 
all  the  veneration  that  is  due  to  yourself,  and  to 
put  that  confidence  in  them  which  is  justly  due 
to  you  as  their  father?" 

"I  would  chastise  them,  and  place  them  in  a 
mad-house,  as  laboring  under  a  fit  of  insanity." 

The  idolater  went  home,  and  tore  all  the 
painted  images  from  the  walls  of  his  house  and 
threw  them  into  the  fire.  From  that  time  he 
ceased  to  frequent  the  Chinese  temples. 

Missionary's  Vade  mecum,  p.  59. 


A  COIVIPANY  OF  AFRICANS  MARCHING  OUT  TO  PRAY. 

Mr.  Butsher,  of  Sierra  Leone,  having  slept  a 
night  at  a  settlement  at  Leicester  mountain,  ob- 
served, in  the  morning  early,  a  number  of  men, 
about  25;  inhabitants  of  Leicester  village,  ap- 
proaching with  their  headman  at  the  front  of 
the  body.  Upon  his  inquiring,  what  they  came 
for,  they  replied,  "To  pray,  Massa.  Dat  white 
man  you  put  here,  pray  with  us  every  morning 
and  evening,  and  we  like  dis  fashion.  Before 
we  be  bushmen;  but  now  we  wish  to  pray,  and 
learn  to  know  God." 

Burder's   Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  309. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  O/ 

THE     CEYLONESE     DELIVERING     TO    A     MISSIONARY, 
THEIR   BADGES   OF  IDOLATRY. 

The  simplicity  of  many  of  the  heathen,  when 
they  receive  the  truth  of  God  in  the  love  of  it, 
is  often  very  admirable.  Mr.  Harvard  states,  in 
his  narration  relative  to  Ceylon,  that  when  he 
was  once  addressing  a  native  congregation  in 
the  government  school-house  at  Pantura,  from 
I,  John  iii.  8th.  he  endeavored  to  shew  that 
the  Kappooa  system,  was  one  of  the  works  of 
the  devil,  which  the  Son  of  God  came  to  des- 
troy; and  urged  their  renunciation  of  all  confi- 
dence in  their  vain  charms,  and  the  conse- 
cration of  their  bodies  and  their  souls  to  God. 
Appealing  to  their  understandings  and  con- 
sciences, he  inquired;  "which  of  you  will  now 
cast  away  these  works  of  the  devil,  and  place 
himself  under  the  protection  of  the  Son  of  God?" 
He  looked  round  upon  the  congregation,  as  for 
a  reply.  Presently  a  charm  was  handed  up  to 
the  pulpit,  which  had  been  broken  off  for  that 
purpose.  He  held  it  up,  and  gave  thanks  to 
God,  that  in  that  place  He  had  begun  to  destroy 
these  works  of  the  devil.  He  then  repeated  the 
inquiry,  "Who  next?"  &c.  and  two  or  three 
more   abandoned   charms  were   handed  up  in  a 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


similar  way.     Before  tlie  close  of  the  services, 
a  handful  of  them  was  in  his  possession. 

Anecdotes  by  London  Tract  Soc'y.  p.  106. 


FAMILY  WORSHIP  IN   CEYLON. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society,  in  1826,  the  Rev.  W.  P. 
Fox,  a  missionary  from  Ceylon,  said,  that  as  he 
was  travelling  in  a  jungle,  in  the  dead  of  the 
night,  which  is  the  usual  time  for  journeying, 
he  heard  a  voice  reauing.  He  drew  near  to 
the  cottage,  and  found  that  the  party  was  read- 
ing the  word  of  God.  He  put  aside  the  leaves, 
of  which  the  cottage  was  composed,  and  saw 
the  whole  group,  consisting  of  three  or  four 
generations,  sitting  on  the  ground,  while  a  youth 
was  reading  the  14th  of  St.  John.  He  waited 
in  silence,  to  see  the  result:  and,  at  the  conclu- 
sion, the  boy  began  to  invoke  the  Divine  bles- 
sing on  what  he  had  read;  and  one  of  the  peti- 
tions was  very  remarkable:  he  prayed  that  God 
would  make  larger  the  ears  of  his  grandmother. 
Mr.  F.  supposed,  from  this  circumstance,  that 
his  poor  relative  was  so  deaf  that  she  could  not 
hear  those  truths  which  he  admired  himself  He 
added,  that  these  instances  were  formerly  rare, 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  89 

but  they  were  now  spreading  over  the  whole 
land;  and  thougli  lie  was  no  prophet,  yet  he 
woidd  venture  to  predict,  that  nothing  like  half 
a  century  would  pass,  ere  it  would  be  said, 
tliat  there  were  no  heathen  temples,  and  no 
idols  remaining  in  Ceylon. 

Anecdotes  by  London  Tract  Soc'y.  p.  153. 


MISSIONS    DIMINISH    CRIME. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Philip,  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  states  that  the  Honourable  Justice  Bur- 
ton informed  him,  after  a  circuit  tour,  that  he 
had  made  three  journeys  over  the  colony  as  a 
circuit  judge;  that  during  these  circuits,  he  had 
nine  hundred  cases  before  him,  and  that  only 
two  of  these  cases  were  connected  with  Hotten- 
tots who  belonged  to  missionary  institutions, 
and  that  neither  of  them  were  agcrravated  cases. 
On  a  comparison  of  the  population  at  the  mis- 
sionary stations  with  that  of  the  rest  of  the  colo- 
ny, which  was  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  cir- 
cuit court,  the  fact  stated  by  the  judge  makes 
the  proportion  of  the  crimes  as  one  to  thirty-five. 

Anecdotes  by  London  Tract  Soc'y.  p.  Iti8. 

•8 


90  SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS. 

A  HEATHEN    TEMPLE  DISPLACED  BY    A     CHRISTIAN 
CHURCH. 

The  following  pleasing  fact,  is  illustrative  of 
the  predicted  downfall  of  idolatry.  Happily, 
scenes  like  this  are  not  ol  infrequent  occur- 
rence. 

On  the  27th  of  Jan  1826,  a  place  of  worship 
was  opened  at  Rammakalchoke,  eight  miles 
from  Kidderpore;  it  was  crowded;  many  came 
from  distant  villages;  an  unusual  interest  in  be- 
half of  Christianity  was  excited,  and  soon  after 
the  Gospel  achieved  a  signal  victory.  On  the 
20th  of  March,  the  native  Christians  tore  up 
their  idol  Siva:  it  was  a  massy  stone  of  some 
hundred  pounds  weight.  When  the  "Destroy- 
er," for  that  is  the  meaning  of  the  idol's  name, 
was  taken  out  of  his  temple,  the  whole  village 
ran  together  in  perfect  amazement,  one  crying 
one  thing,  and  another,  another.  The  impression 
made  by  the  demolition  of  the  idol  was  like  the 
shock  of  an  earthquake,  to  use  the  remark  of 
the  owner  of  the  temple. 

A  few  days  afterwards  the  idol  was  brought 
to  Kidderpore,  and  presented  to  the  missiona- 
ries. "Here  indeed"  said  these  men  of  God, 
"we  stand  amazed,  and  say,  what  hath  God 
wrought!     Never  did  our  most  sanguine  expeo- 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  91 

tations  lead  us  to  think,  that  we  should  behold 
this  obscene  idol  destroyed."  This  is  the  first 
instance  of  the  kind,  that  has  occurred  in  Ben- 
gal. 

The  temple,  in  whi<:h  the  idol  stood,  has  since 
been  taken  down  by  its  owners;  and,  with  a 
part  of  the  materials,  they  have  erected  a  tem- 
ple to  the  one  living  and  true  God.  Those  very 
bricks  which  once  enclosed  the  demon  of  impu- 
rity, serve  the  purpose  of  screening  the  mission- 
aries from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  while  preaching 
to  the  heathen  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 

Anecdotes,  by  Lond. Tract  Soc'y,  p.  170. 


OBSERVANCE  OF  THE  SABBATH,  AT  THE  SOL'TH  SEA 
ISLANDS. 

A  naval  officer,  who  was  at  Tahiti  in  1822. 
states,  that  he  visited  the  South  Sea  Islands, 
with  prejudices  against  the  missionaries,  and 
suspicion  respecting  the  reported  change  among 
the  people;  but  that  his  visit  had  entirely  re- 
moved them  both.  It  was  Friday,  when  the  ves- 
sel arrived,  the  natives  thronged  the  ship  with 
fowls,  fruit  and  vegetables,  for  sale;  manifesting 
considerable  earnestness  and  address  in  the  dis- 
posal of  their  goods.     The  same  thing  was  con- 


92  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

tinued  through  the  second  day:  but  on  the  third, 
to  the  great  astonishment  of  all  on  board,  no 
individual  came  near  the  ship.  On  the  day 
following  however,  the  trade  was  as  brisk  as 
ever.  The  sabbath  occa^oned  the  suspension. 
Captain  Gambier,  who  visited  them  in  the 
same  year,  says  in  his  journal  respecting  their 
observance  of  the  Sabbath,  "the  silence,  the 
order  preserved,  the  devotion  and  attention  paid 
to  the  subject,  surprised  and  pleased  me  beyond 
measure.  Children,"  he  adds,  ''are  seen  bring- 
ing their  aged  parents  to  the  church,  that  they 
may  partake  of  the  pleasure  they  derive  from 
the  explanation  of  the  Bible." 

Anecdotes,  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc'y,  p.  179. 


IMPROVED   CONDITION  OF  THE  SOUTH  SEA  ISLANDS. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Orsmond,  a  missionary  at  Ei- 
meo,  states,  that  some  years  ago,  he  overheard 
several  chiefs  conversing  among  themselves  as 
follows — 

''But  for  our  teachers,  our  grass  on  the  hill, 
our  fences  and  houses  would  have  been  fire- 
ashes  long  ago,"  meaning  that  the  ravages  of 
war  would  have  continued  to  desolate  the  land. 
"But  for  the  Gospel,  we  should  now  have  been 
on  the  mountains,  squeezing  moss  for  a  drop  of 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  »0 

water;  eating  raw  roots,  and  smothering  the 
cries  of  our  children,  by  tilling  their  mouths 
with  grass,  dirt  and  cloth."  "Under  the  reign 
of  the  Messiah,  we  stretch  out  our  feet  at  ease, 
eat  our  food,  keep  our  pig  by  the  house,  and  see 
cliildren,  wife  and  all  at  table  in  the  same 
house."  "We  did  not  know  more  than  our  an- 
cestors, our  kings  and  our  parents:  and  we  were 
all  blind,  till  the  birds  flew  across  the  great  ex- 
panse with  good  seeds  in  their  mouths,  and 
planted  them  among  us.  We  now  gather  the 
fruit  and  have  continual  harvest.  It  was  God 
who  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  those  strangers  to 
come  to  us.  We  have  nothing  to  give  them: 
but  we  are  a  people  of  thorny  hands,  of  pointed 
tongues  and  we  have  no  thoughts,"  "If  God 
were  to  take  our  teachers  from  us,  we  should 
soon  be  savage  again.  They  are  the  great  roots 
to  the  tree  on  the  high  hill:  tlie  wind  strikes  it, 
twists  it,  but  cannot  level  it  to  the  ground,  for 
its  roots  are  strong."  "Our  hearts  delighted  in 
war,  but  our  teachers  love  peace,  and  we  now 
have  peace." 

Anecdotes,  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc'y,  p.  182. 


94  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


SECTION    III. 


Remarkahle  Conversions. 


CONVERSION    OF    A    PRIEST    OF    BUDDHU. 

A  young  priest,  who  was  a  zealous  opposer  of 
Christianity,  resided  in  the  district  of  Matura, 
in  Ceylon.  This  spot  is  deemed  the  chief  seat 
of  Buddhism  on  the  island.  The  chief  priest 
resides  here,  and  here  also  is  the  principal  col- 
lege of  the  Buddhist  priesthood. 

The  priest  was  met  incidentally,  at  the  prison 
of  Matura,  by  Mr.  Lalmon,  a  Wesleyan  assis- 
tant missionary.  Both  had  come  to  the  place  to 
visit  a  native  man,  condemned  to  die.  After 
some  conversation,  the  missionary  challenged 
the  priest  to  produce  a  single  proof  from  any  of 
his  sacred  books,  that  a  Savior  for  man  had 
come  into  the  world.  The  priest  was  highly  in- 
dignant at  the  challenfice.  He  went  to  his  tem- 
pie,  and  commenced  a  search  for  evidence  from 
the  Buddhist  writings  of  the  doctrine  he  was 
required  to  support.  Though  he  continued  his 
search  at  times  for  two  years,  he  was  unsuc- 
cessful. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  95 

On  visiting  a  neighboring  district  he  met  with 
another  missionary  wlio  gave  him  a  copy  of  the 
New  Testament,  in  Cingalese.  This  he  took  to 
his  temple  and  read  ;  but  it  was  four  years  be- 
fore the  pride  of  his  heart  would  allow  him  to 
divulge  the  struggle  that  was  going  on  in  his 
mind.  The  rank  he  held  in  the  priesthood, 
being  now  second  in  the  Island ;  his  reputation 
for  learning,  and  the  influence  he  had  among 
the  people,  were  circumstances  which  induced 
him  so  loner  to  resist  that  lijrht  and  conviction 
which  the  perusal  of  the  Scriptures  had  con- 
veyed to  his  mind.  The  repetition  of  his  visits, 
however,  led  to  a  disclosure  of  his  condition 
An  alarm  was  raised,  and  he  found  it  necessary 
to  fly  from  the  temple  and  take  refuge  in  the 
house  of  the  missionary. 

The  priests  wrote  a  letter  to  him,  which  was 
signed  by  them  all,  stating  that  disgrace  would 
befal  them  if  he  became  a  Christian  ;  that  were 
such  a  calamity  to  happen,  their  religion  would 
receive  an  incurable  wound.  To  this  he  paid 
no  regard.  In  a  second  communication,  they 
made  him  an  offer  of  certain  temples  and  emolu- 
ments, provided  he  would  not  renounce  Buddh- 
ism. This  likewise  produced  no  effect.  In  a 
third  letter,  they  declared  that  if  he  became  a 
Christian,  they  would,  by  some  means,  or  other 


96 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


take  his  life.  This  rather  startled  him  at  first. 
But  he  remained  firm  to  his  purpose,  and  after 
"  learning  the  way  of  the  Lord  more  perfect- 
ly "  from  the  missionaries,  he  was  publicly  bap- 
tized in  the  presence  of  a  very  large  assembly. 

"  The  conversion  of  this  man,"  said  Mr. 
Clough,  a  Wesleyan  missionary,  "  is  so  impres- 
sive an  event,  that  it  more  than  a  thousand  fold 
rewards  us  for  all  the  toils  we  have  had  in  trans- 
lating and  publishing  the  Scriptures  in  Cin- 
galese." 

Missionary  Register,  1827,  p.  220. 


A   TAHITIAN    POWERFULLY    AFFECTED    BY   A    VERSE 
IN    THE    GOSPEL   OF    JOHN. 

During  a  missionary  tour  in  Tahiti,  Mr.  Nott 
read  to  a  number  of  the  natives  a  passage  from 
the  New  Testament.  When  he  finished  the 
sixteenth  verse  of  the  third  chapter,  a  native 
who  had  listened  with  avidity  and  joy,  inter- 
rupted him  and  said,  "What  words  were  those 
you  read?  What  sounds  were  those  I  heard? 
Let  me  hear  those  words  again."  Mr.  Nott 
read  again  the  verse,  "  God  so  loved  the  world 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,"  &/C. — when 
the  native  rose  from  his  seat  and  said,  *'  Is  that 
true  ?     Can  that  be  true  ?     God  love  the  world, 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  97 

when  the  world  not  love  him  !  God  so  love  the 
world  as  to  give  his  Son  to  die,  that  man  might 
not  die  !  Can  that  be  true  ?"  Mr.  Nott  again 
read  the  verse,  told  him  it  was  true,  and  that  it 
was  the  message  God  had  sent  to  them,  and  that 
whosoever  believed  on  the  Son  of  God  should 
not  perish.  The  feelings  of  the  astonished  isl- 
ander were  too  powerful  for  expression  or  re- 
straint. He  burst  into  tears,  and  retired  to 
meditate  upon  the  amazing  love  of  God.  His 
soul  was  touched  by  the  grace  of  God.  He  be- 
came a  disciple  of  Christ. 

Ellis's  Polyiicpiaii  Researches,  vol.  1,  p.  27G.     Lond. 


CONVERSION   OF  A  NATIVE   PRIEST   AT   ONE   OF  THE 
SOUTH   SEA   ISLANDS. 

An  aged  native  priest  at  Parea  resisted  stren- 
uously the  introduction  of  Christianity.  After 
the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  had  renounced 
the  rites  of  paganism,  he  declared  his  intention 
still  to  adhere  to  the  worship  of  idols.  When 
the  people  went  to  the  chapel  on  the  Sabbath,  he 
repaired  to  his  garden  to  employ  himself  in  la- 
bor. While  mending  a  fence  on  the  Sabbath,  a 
bough  struck  his  eyes,  and  caused  painful  in- 
flammation, which  resulted  in  permanent  blind- 
ness.    This  circumstance   deeply    affected    his 


98  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

mind,  and  led  to  the  renunciation  of  his  idola- 
trous practices.  He  became  a  firm  believer  in 
Christianity,  and  at  his  baptism  assumed  the 
name  of  Paul,  because  the  apostle  was  struck 
with  blindness,  as  well  as  himself,  before  con- 
version. 

His  subsequent  abhorrence  of  the  rites  of  the 
native  priesthood,  was  as  strong  as  his  attach- 
ment to  Christianity.  He  was  requested  by  Mr. 
Ellis  and  a  few  friends,  simply  for  their  informa- 
tion, to  recite  one  of  the  prayers  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  offer  in  the  temple.  After  long 
persuasion  he  consented,  and  assuming  the  usual 
crouching  position,  he  commenced  in  a  shrill, 
tremulous  tone  ;  but  the  very  mention  of  the 
names  of  the  gods  gave  him  the  utmost  alarm ; 
he  declared  he  durst  not,  he  could  not  proceed. 

Ellis's  Polynesian  Researches,  vol.  1,  p.  210.     Lond. 


CONVERSION    AND   RIARTYRDOM   OF   A   TURK. 

A  few  years  before  the  Greek  revolution,  a 
Turk  and  a  Greek  of  the  same  occupation,  lived 
opposite  to  each  other  at  Smyrna.  The  Turk 
was  from  the  island  of  Mitylene,  nearly  all  the 
inhabitants  of  which  understood  Greek.  The 
Greek  was  from  Athens,  and  had  in  his  shop  a 
younger  brother,  a  youth  of  about  fourteen  years 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.   ~  99 

of  age.  The  Turk  often  visited  his  neighbor, 
and  one  day  he  found  the  young  Greek  reading : 
the  book  was  a  copy  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  re- 
ceived through  the  Bible  Society.  The  Turk, 
impatient  at  his  fixed  attention  to  the  book,  in- 
quired its  name.  The  youth  replied,  somewhat 
coldly,  that  it  was  his  "Ketab,"  or  sacred  book. 

The  Turk  having  intimated  a  wish  to  hear 
some  portion  of  the  volume,  the  youth  declined 
complying  with  the  request,  alleging  that  it 
would  be  dangerous  to  be  found  reading  together 
the  Scriptures,  and  hinting  that  if  he  were  a 
Christian  there  would  be  no  danger. 

The  Turk  immediately  left  the  house  :  but  he 
had  scarcely  quitted  the  door,  when  the  elder 
brother,  who  had  been  apprised  of  the  conversa- 
tion, severely  reprimanded  the  youth.  "What 
have  you  done,"  said  he,  *'in  proposing  to  this 
Turk  to  become  a  Christian !  If  he  should  de- 
nounce us,  we  are  both  of  us  lost:  prison,  con- 
fiscation of  our  property,  and  probably  death  will 
be  our  lot."  The  young  Greek  was  yet  tremb- 
ling under  this  reproof,  when  the  Turk  again 
entered,  and  inquired  what  it  was  which  aflfected 
him.  His  brother  having  left,  the  youth  related 
to  him  all  that  had  passed  between  them.  "  By 
my  religion,"  said  the  Turk,  ''  and  by  all  that  I 
hold  sacred,  I  swear  that  I  will  not  denounce 


100  SUCCESS    OF  MISSIONS. 

you !  Only  read  to  me  somewhat  from  your 
Ketab."  The  young  Greek  then  ventured  to 
read.  The  Turk  listened  with  eager  attention  : 
and  the  more  he  heard,  the  more  eager  was  he 
still  to  hear.  He  could  see  from  his  window 
whenever  the  elder  brother  left  his  house,  and 
this  Mas  a  signal  for  him  to  hasten  to  the  youth, 
whom  he  would  allure  by  presents  to  spend 
much  time  in  reading  to  him  the  word  of  God. 

Some  months  having  passed  in  this  manner, 
the  Turk  came  at  length  to  the  resolution  of 
abandoning  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  and  em- 
bracing Christianity.  He  shut  up  his  house, 
sold  his  property,  and  betook  himself  to  a  Greek 
priest,  to  whom  he  communicated  his  resolution. 
''Away !  for  the  love  of  God,"  was  all  the  answer 
he  could  obtain.  A  Turk  desiring  to  embrace 
Christianity,  was  a  thing  so  unheard  of,  that  the 
distrust  of  the  priest  was  awakened.  He  was 
aware  also  that  Turks  often  endeavor  in  this 
manner  to  ensnare  Christians.  Our  Turk  ap- 
plied then  to  the  priest  of  another  Greek  church 
who  gave  him  the  same  repulse.  Having  been 
recommended  to  make  application  to  a  monas- 
tery at  Athos,  he  did  so.  At  Athos,  however 
he  was  repulsed  as  he  had  been  at  Smyrna :  nc 
one  would  believe  him  sincere.  He  applied 
finally  to  one  of  the  anchorites  of  the  mountain  : 


SUCCESS    OF  MISSIONS. 


101 


the  hermit,  while  he  pitied  the  Turk,  would 
hold  no  intercourse  with  him  on  religion,  with- 
out the  permission  of  his  superiors.  There  was 
a  young  priest  with  the  hermit  when  this  appli- 
cation was  made.  As  they  walked  away  to- 
gether in  silence,  the  priest,  affected  by  the 
tears  of  the  Turk,  said,  "  Hast  thou  indeed  a 
sincere  desire  to  become  a  Christian?  "You 
see  this,"  replied  the  Turk.  "  Then  follow  me," 
said  the  priest ;  *'  I  will  show  you  a  retreat  suf- 
ficient for  your  dwelling,  and  to  shelter  you 
from  the  weather:  here  hide  yourself:  I  will 
bring  you  food,  and  will  come  daily  to  instruct 
you."  In  this  retirement  the  Turk  continued 
for  many  months,  receiving  from  the  young 
priest  both  his  bodily  and  his  spiritual  food.  He 
was  at  length  baptized,  and  afterwards  lived 
some  years  in  seclusion  at  Athos. 

But  the  fire  of  his  first  love  burned  within 
him,  and  would  not  suffer  him  to  remain  any 
longer  inactive.  He  had  an  aged  mother  and  a 
brother  at  Mitylene :  the  salvation  of  their  souls 
incessantly  pressing  on  his  mind,  he  resolved  to 
visit  them.  He  was  on  board  the  vessel  which 
was  to  carry  him  over  to  Mitylene,  when  another 
Turk,  an  officer  of  the  customs,  recognized  him 
by  a  scar  near  the  eye.  He  was  immediately 
questioned,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  relate  the 


102  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

circumstances  of  his  conversion  to  Christianity, 
lie  was  arrested,  cast  into  prison,  and  subjected 
Ao  every  kind  of  torture  :  but  he  remained  im- 
moveable. 

As  soon  as  his  arrest  became  known,  the 
Christians  were  deeply  affected.  Gregory,  then 
at  the  head  of  the  college,  immediately  assem- 
bled the  elder  students  :  he  related  what  had 
passed,  and  exhorted  them  to  pray  for  their  af- 
flicted brother.  "But,"  he  added,  "prayer 
alone  should  not  content  us ;  we -must  endeavor 
to  comfort  and  encourage  him  in  his  prison. 
Which  of  you  will  put  his  own  life  in  jeopardy 
by  this  act  of  piety?"  "I,"  "I,"  resounded  on 
all  sides.  To  a  young  Athenian  was  granted 
the  desired  privilege  of  making  the  perilous  visit. 
By  a  contrivance  which  perhaps  would  scarcely 
admit  of  justification,  he  procured  his  own  tem- 
porary imprisonment.  Disguised  as  a  laboring 
mason,  he  took  the  road  to  Magnesia,  while  a 
Greek  master  mason,  engaged  for  the  purpose, 
went  to  the  Turks  to  apprise  them  that  one  of 
his  workmen,  who  owed  him  a  considerable  sum, 
had  fled  to  Magnesia.  Some  Turkish  soldiers 
were  immediately  despatched  in  pursuit.  The 
Athenian  was  seized  and  thrown  into  prison. 
Here  he  found  the  poor  Turk  stretched  partially 
on  the  earth,  'is  head  down,  and  his  feet  fas- 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  103 

tened  by  a  cord  to  the  ceiling,  in  which  painful 
posture  it  had  been  determined  to  leave  him, 
until  he  should  abandon  his  resolution.  The 
Athenian  student  concealed  his  emotions,  and 
remained  quiet  till  midnight.  When  the  other 
prisoners  had  fallen  asleep,  he  approached  the 
martyr,  and  sought  to  console  him,  by  assuring 
him  how  much  the  Christians  felt  for  him — that 
they  would  do  all  in  their  power  for  his  deliver- 
ance— that  they  prayed  for  the  confirmation  of 
his  faith — and  that  he  had  been  himself  sent  on 
their  part  to  encourage  him.  The  martyr  an- 
swered, "I  thank  you  for  your  love  ;  but,  blessed 
be  God !  I  stand  in  no  need  of  encouragement. 
I  shall  endure  all,  even  to  the  end."  He  kept 
his  word.  He  was  taken  to  Constantinople. 
His  steadfastness  was  assailed  by  the  promise  of 
liberty,  wealth,  and  a  wife  of  great  beauty,  on 
the  sinsjle  condition  of  returninof  to  the  religion 
of  his  fathers.  But  all  was  unavailing.  His 
constancy  was  then  tried,  with  no  better  success, 
by  multiplied  torments.  At  last  his  persecutors, 
wearied  by  his  inflexible  firmness,  struck  off  his 
head. 

Oriental  Christian  Spectator,  1834,  pp.  69,  70,  71 


104  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


CONVERSION   OF   KAIARNACK. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Moravian  missiona- 
ries in  Greenland  labored  for  several  years  with- 
out any  apparent  success.  They  seem  to  have 
thought  that  they  should  first  instruct  the  natives 
in  the  existence  of  God,  the  creation  of  the 
world,  the  nature  of  the  soul,  and  similar  sub- 
jects ;  and  all  this  they  did  without  exciting  any 
degree  of  attention.  On  one  occasion,  however, 
while  one  of  these  good  men  was  occupied  in 
translating  the  Gospels,  he  was  visited  by  a 
number  of  the  natives,  who  were  desirous  of 
knowing  the  contents  of  the  book.  After  some 
general  remarks,  the  missionary  slid  into  an 
account  of  the  sufferings  of  Jesus ;  reading  the 
description  of  his  sorrows,  and  speaking  much 
of  the  agony  which  made  him  sweat,  "  as  it 
were  great  drops  of  blood." 

Now  the  Spirit  of  God  began  to  work.  One 
of  these  men,  Kaiarnack,  stepped  forward  to  the 
temple,  and  said  in  an  earnest  and  affecting 
tone,  "  How  was  that  ?  Tell  me  that  once 
more  ;  for  I  would  fain  be  saved  too."  Never 
had  such  language  been  heard  from  a  Green- 
lander  before.  After  careful  instruction,  Kaiar- 
nack became  a  decided  and  useful  convert.     He 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  106 

and  his  family  were  the   first  fruits  of  a  large 
liarvest  of  conversions  in  that  country. 

Soon  after  this  event,  the  missionaries  visited 
one  of  their  distant  stations ;  and  when  they  in- 
sisted much  upon  the  sufferings  of  Jesus,  the 
assembly  were  deeply  affected.  "  What  things 
have  come  about  now?"  was  their  inquiry. 
"  Your  present  discourse,"  it  was  added,  "  makes 
quite  another  impression  upon  us,  than  when 
you  always  told  us  of  God  and  the  two  first  pa- 
rents. We  continually  said,  we  believed  it  all, 
but  we  were  tired  of  hearing  of  it,  and  thought, 
What  signifies  that  to  us  ?  But  now  we  find 
there  is  something  interesting  in  it.  We  also 
see  that  our  people  have  experienced  something 
real  in  their  hearts,  because  they  can  speak  of 
it,  and  pray,  and  we  cannot." 

Bunlcr's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  163,  and  Carne's  Lives  of  Pro- 
testant Missionaries,  vol.  1,  p.  230. 


CONVERSION   OF    AFRICANER. 

One  of  the  most  extraordinary  instances  of 
the  power  of  divine  grace  furnished  in  the  annals 
of  missions,  is  that  of  Africaner,  for  many  years 
a  chief  among  the  Namacquas,  a  tribe  of  people 
in  South  Africa.  He  was  pronounced  by  Mr. 
Campbell,   "  the   Bonaparte  of  the    interior    of 


106  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

South  Africa."  *'  His  name  carried  terror  along 
with  it  for  several  hundred  miles  around  his 
residence."  He  was  long  engaged  in  plunder- 
ing the  neighboring  tribes,  and  did  not  scruple 
to  destroy  two  missionary  settlements. 

His  character  may  be  learnt  more  fully  from 
the  remark  respecting  him,  recorded  by  a  mis- 
sionary. "Soldiers  are  sent,  who,  it  is  hoped, 
will  succeed  in  ridding  the  country  of  such  a 
monster,  whom  neither  religion  nor  government 
can  restrain  or  subdue." 

When  Mr.  Campbell  visited  Africa,  in  1812, 
he  wrote  a  conciliatory  letter  to  this  man,  asking 
him  to  allow  the  missionaries  to  return  to  one  of 
the  stations  from  which  they  had  been  driven  in 
terror  by  his  violence.  After  some  delay,  he 
granted  the  request.  The  conversation  .and 
preaching  of  a  missionary,  at  this  station,  had 
such  an  effect,  that  Africaner  one  day  said  to 
him,  "I  am  glad  that  I  am  delivered.  I  have 
long  enough  been  engaged  in  the  service  of  the 
devil ;  but  now  I  am  free  from  this  bondage. 
Jesus  hath  delivered  me :  him  will  I  serve,  and 
with  him  will  I  abide." 

When  Mr.  Campbell  visited  Africa  the  second 
time,  he  wrote  thus  to  his  friends  in  England. 

Africaner  was  the  man  of  whom  I  was  most 
afraid  when   in  that   country  before,  in  conse- 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  107 

quence  of  the  multitude  of  plunders  in  which  he 
was  engaged.  Tliere  was  a  Griqua  captain,  of 
a  different  tribe,  between  whom  und  Africaner 
there  were  frequent  battles.  Both  of  these  are 
now  converted  to  the  Christian  faith.  Africaner, 
as  an  act  of  kindness  to  Mr.  Moffat,  travelled 
with  his  people  a  journey  of  six  days  across 
Africa,  to  convey  Mr.  Mofiat's  books  and  furni- 
ture to  Lattakoo.  Formerly  he  had  gone  as  far 
to  attack  Berend.  On  this  occasion  Africaner 
and  Berend  met  together  in  my  tent,  and  united 
in  singing  praises  to  the  God  of  peace ;  and 
when  I  recollected  the  enmity  that  had  formerly 
existed  between  them,  compared  with  what  I 
then  saw,  tears  of  joy  flowed  from  my  eyes.  O 
my  friends,  afler  the  conversion  of  Africaner 
and  Berend,  let  a  man  be  as  wicked  as  he  may, 
despair  not  of  his  conversion  ;  for  the  grace  of 
God  is  infinite. 

It  is  pleasing  to  add  that,  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  Africaner  maintained  the  character  of  a 
consistent  and  useful  Christian. 

Burdor's    Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  295,  and  Anecdotes,  Christian 
Missions,  p.  58. 


CONVERSION  OF  P.\RBOTEE. 

Parbotee  was  a  Brahmin  of  superior  rank,  and 
a  very  strict  observer  of  Hindoo  rites.     Meeting 


108 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


with  another  Brahmin,  Mohun  Chund,  who  had 
visited  Mr.  Thomas,  the  missionary,  Parbotee 
required  him  to  go  and  wash  his  clothes,  to 
remove  the  defilement  of  the  society  of  an  Eng- 
lishman. The  other  Brahmin  positively  refused, 
although  the  injunction  was  repeatedly  urged. 
Parbotee  then  proceeded  to  what  is  deemed  in 
India  a  very  formidable  act.  He  handed  to 
Mohun  Chund  his  hookah  (smoking  pipe,  with  a 
vessel  of  water,  through  which  the  smoke  passes 
to  his  mouth,)  having  first  poured  out  the  water 
from  the  vessel.  Such  an  act  is,  among  the 
Hindoos,  a  kind  of  formal  disgrace,  and  proves 
the  forerunner  to  that  which  is  deemed  worse 
than  death,  the  loss  of  caste.  This  proceeding 
could  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  witnesses 
present,  nor  fail  of  drawing  the  attention  of 
many  to  the  great  dishonor  of  the  censured 
Brahmin.  Mohun  Chund  left  the  company,  and 
went  and  poured  out  his  complaint  to  God  in 
prayer.  During  the  next  night,  he  was  called 
up  by  the  vehement  cries  of  Parbotee,  whom  he 
found  greatly  agitated,  and  anxious  to  hear  the 
Gospel.  They  went  together  to  the  house  of 
Boshoo,  the  moonshee,  where  they  remained  till 
daylight,  reading,  praying,  and  singing.  The 
impressions  thus  commenced  were  permanent. 
After  painful  and  trying  convictions,  he  gave 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


109 


good  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart,  and  his  sub- 
sequent demeanor  was  highly  satisfactory  to  the 
missionaries. 

Siiiitli  and  Clioulcs'  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  18(3. 


CONVERSION    OF   ABDALLAH. 

Abdallah  and  Sabat,  young  men  of  'family  in 
Arabia,  were  intimate  friends.  They  were  both 
zealous  Mohammedans.  Having  agreed  to  visit 
together  foreign  countries,  they  left  Arabia, 
after  paying  their  adoration  at  the  tomb  of  the 
prophet  at  Mecca,  and  travelled  through  Persia, 
and  thence  to  Cabul.  Abdallah  was  appointed 
to  an  office  of  state  under  Zemaun  Shah,  king 
of  Cabul.  Sabat  left  his  companion  here,  and 
proceeded  on  a  tour  through  Tartary. 

While  Abdallah  remained  at  Cabul,  he  was 
converted  to  the  Christian  faith  by  the  perusal 
of  a  Bible,  (as  is  supposed,)  belonging  to  an 
Armenian  Christian.  In  the  Mohammedan 
states,  it  is  death  for  a  man  of  rank  to  become  a 
Christian.  Abdullah  endeavored  for  a  time  to 
conceal  his  conversion  ;  but  finding  it  no  longer 
])ossible,  he  determined  to  (lee  to  some  of  the 
Christian  churches  near  the  Caspian  Sea.  He 
accordingly  left  Cabul  in  disguise ;  and  had 
10 


110  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

gained  the  city  of  Bochara,  in  Tartary,  where 
he  was  met  in  the  streets  and  recognized 
by  his  friend  Sabat.  The  circumstances  of  his 
conversion  and  flight  were  known  to  his  old 
friend,  from  whom  they  called  forth  strong  in- 
dignation. Abdallah  knew  his  danger,  and 
threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  Sabat.  He  con- 
fessed that  he  was  a  Christian,  and  implored 
him,  by  the  sacred  tie  of  their  former  friendship, 
to  let  him  escape  with  his  life. 

''But,  sir,"  said  Sabat,  when  relating  the 
story  himself,  "I  had  no  pity.  I  caused  my  ser- 
vants to  seize  him,  and  I  delivered  him  up  to 
Morad  Shah,  king  of  Bochara.  He  was  sen- 
tenced to  die;  and  a  herald  went  through  the 
city  of  Bochara,  announcing  the  time  of  his  ex- 
ecution. An  immense  multitude  attended,  and 
the  chief  men  of  the  city.  I  also  went  and 
stood  near  to  Abdallah.  He  was  offered  his  life 
if  he  would  abjure  Christ,  the  executioner  stand- 
ing by  him,  with  his  sword  in  his  hand.  '  No,' 
said  he,  as  if  the  proposition  were  impossible  to 
be  complied  with,  'I  cannot  abjure  Christ.' 
Then  one  of  his  hands  was  cut  off  at  the  wrist. 
He  stood  firm,  his  arm  hanging  by  his  side,  with 
but  little  motion.  A  physician,  by  desire  of  the 
king,  offered  to  heal  the  wound,  if  he  would 
recant.     He  made  no  answer,  but   looked  up 


SUCCKSS    OF    MISSIONS.  Ill 

stead f;istly  towards  heaven,  like  Stephen  tlie  first 
martyr,  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears.  He  did 
not  look  with  anger  towards  me.  He  looked  at 
me,  but  it  was  benignly,  and  with  the  counte- 
nance of  forgiveness.  His  other  hand  was  then 
cut  off.  But,  sir,"  said  Sabat,  "  he  never 
chanired — he  never  chanfred.  And  when  he 
bowed  his  head,  to  receive  the  blow  of  death,  all 
Bochara  seemed  to  say,  '  what  new  thing  is 
this'?'  " 

After  the  martyrdom  of  Abdallah,  Sabat  re- 
signed himself  to  grief  and  remorse.  He  trav- 
elled from  place  to  place,  seeking  rest  and  find- 
ing none.  At  last  he  visited  India,  where  he 
was  appointed  by  the  English  government  a 
Mufti,  or  expounder  of  the  Mohammedan  law. 

While  he  was  at  Vizagapatam,  exercising  his 
professional  duties.  Providence  brought  in  his 
way  a  New  Testament  in  Arabic.  He  read  it 
with  deep  thought,  and  compared  it  with  the 
Koran.  At  length,  the  truth  of  the  word  of 
God  fell  on  his  mind,  as  he  expressed  it,  like  a 
flood  of  light.  Soon  afterwards  he  proceeded  to 
Madras,  a  journey  of  three  hundred  miles,  to 
seek  Christian  baptism  ,  and  having  made  a 
public  confession  of  his  faith,  he  was  baptized, 
by  the  name  of  Nathaniel,  in  the  twenty-seventh 
year  of  his  age. 


112  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

Sabat  now  relinquished  his  secular  employ- 
ment, and  repaired,  by  invitation,  to  Bengal, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  translating  the  Scrip- 
tures into  the  Persian  language.  His  tPttention 
was  turned  also  to  his  own  countrymen,  and  he 
sought  to  promulgate  among  them  the  truths  of 
Christianity,  by  publishing  a  treatise  entitled 
"  Happy  news  for  Arabia."  This  work  has  been 
pronounced  "  an  eloquent  and  argumentative 
elucidation  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  with  copi- 
ous authorities  admitted  by  the  Mohammedans 
themselves,  particularly  by  the  Wahabees." 

When  the  family  of  Sabat,  in  Arabia,  heard 
that  he  had  followed  the  example  of  Abdallah, 
and  had  become  a  Christian,  they  despatched 
his  brother  to  India  to  assassinate  him.  While 
Sabat  was  sitting  in  his  house  at  Vizagapatam, 
his  brother  presented  himself  in  the  disguise  of 
a  Faqueer,  having  a  dagger  concealed  under  his 
mantle.  He  rushed  on  Sabat  and  wounded 
him.  But  Sabat  seized  his  arm,  and  his  ser- 
vants came  to  his  assistance.  He  then  recog- 
nized his  brother.  The  assassin  would  have 
become  the  victim  of  public  justice,  but  Sabat 
interceded  for  his  brother,  and  sent  him  home 
in  peace,  with  letters  and  presents  to  his  moth- 
er's house  in  Arabia. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  1 1 'J 

Sabat  afterwards  apostatized,  and  wrote  a 
book  in  favor  of  Mohammedanism.  He  wrote 
again,  however,  in  answer  to  his  own  book,  and 
in  a  subsequent  conversation  with  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Milne,  declared  himself  still  a  Christian.  After 
this  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Mohammedans, 
and  for  some  real  or  pretended  treason,  after  six 
months'  confinement,  he  was  tied  up  in  a  sack, 
and  thrown  into  the  sea. 

Burdor's  Missionary  AnecdotCH,  p.  ^9. 


CONVERSION    UF   TSCHOOP, 

•  A    MOHIKAN    INDIAN. 

Before  his  conversion,  Tschoop  was  distin- 
guished by  every  act  of  outrage  and  sin.  He 
had  even  crippled  himself  by  his  debaucheries. 
But  the  lion  was  tamed,  and  the  slave  of  sin  be- 
came a  child  of  God  and  a  preacher  of  right- 
eousness to  his  own  countrymen.  The  account 
he  gave  of  his  own  conversion,  will  best  eluci- 
date the  striking  change  wrought  in  him.  It  is 
as  follows : 

"  Brethren,  I  have  been  a  heathen,  and  have 

grown   old   among:^t    the    heathen  :  therefore  I 

know    how    heathen   think.     Once   a   preacher 

came,  and  began  to  explain  to  us  that  there  was 

10* 


1  14  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS, 

a  God.  We  answered,  '  Dost  thou  think  us  so 
ignorant  as  not  to  know  that  ?  Go  back  to  the 
place  from  whence  thou  earnest.'  Then  again 
another  preacher  came,  and  began  to  teach  us, 
and  to  say,  '  You  must  not  steal,  nor  lie,  nor 
get  drunk,'  &lc.  We  answered,  '  Thou  fool, 
dost  thou  think  that  we  don't  know  that?  Learn 
first  thyself,  and  then  teach  the  people  to  whom 
thou  belongest,  to  leave  off  ihese  things.  For 
who  steals,  or  lies,  or  who  is  more  drunken  than 
thine  own  people?'  And  thus  we  dismissed 
him.  After  some  time,  brother  Christian  Henry 
Ranch  came  into  my  hut  and  sat  down  by  me. 
He  spoke  to  me  nearly  as  follows  :  '  I  come  to 
you  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth :  he  sends  to  let  you  know  that  he  will 
make  you  happy  and  deliver  you  from  the  mis- 
ery in  which  you  lie  at  present.  To  this  end 
he  became  a  man,  gave  his  life  a  ransom  for 
man,  and  shed  his  blood  for  him,'  &lc.  When 
he  had  finished  his  discourse,  he  lay  down  upon 
a  board,  fatigued  by  the  journey,  and  fell  into  a 
sound  sleep.  I  then  thought,  what  kind  of  a 
man  is  this  ?  Here  he  lies  and  sleeps.  I  might 
kill  him  and  throw  him  out  into  the  wood,  and 
who  would  regard  it  ?  But  this  gives  him  no 
concern.  However,  I  could  not  forget  his 
words.     They  constantly  recurred  to  my  mind. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  115 

Even  when  I  was  asleep,  I  dreamed  of  that 
blood  which  Christ  shed  for  us.  I  found  this  to 
be  something  different  from  what  I  had  ever 
heard,  and  I  interpreted  Christian  Henry's 
words  to  the  other  Indians.  Thus,  through  the 
grace  of  God,  an  awakening  took  place  among 
us.  I  say,  therefore,  brethren,  preach  Christ 
our  Savior,  and  his  sufferings  and  death,  if  you 
would  have  your  words  to  gain  entrance  among 
the  heathen." 

Loski.-1-s  MLssioii  amotig  tlic  N.  A.  Imlians,  P.  II.  Cli.  1.  p.  14. 


CONVERSION    OF    A    IirNDOO    DEVOTEE. 

A  devotee  on  the  Malabar  coast,  inquired  of 
his  priest,  how  he  might  make  atonement  for  his 
sins  1  He  was  directed  to  drive  iron  spikes, 
sufficiently  blunted,  through  his  sandals  ;  and  on 
these  spikes  he  was  directed  to  place  his  naked 
feet,  and  to  walk  about  480  miles.  If,  through 
loss  of  blood,  or  weakness  of  body,  he  was 
obliged  to  halt,  he  might  wait  for  healing  and 
strength.  He  undertook  the  journey;  and  while 
he  halted  under  a  large,  shady  tree,  where  the 
Gospel  was  sometimes  preached,  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries came  and  preached  in  his  hearing 
from  these  words  •     "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 


116  SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS. 

his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  While  he 
was  preaching,  the  man  rose  up,  threw  off  his 
torturing  sandals,  and  cried  out  aloud,  ''  This  is 
what  I  want ;"  and  he  became  a  lively  witness 
that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  does  cleanse  from 
all  sins  indeed. 

This  account  was  furnished  by  the  celebrated 
Schwartz. 

Burdor's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  198. 


CONVERSION  OF  A  HEATHEN  PHILOSOPHER  AT  NICE, 

AS    RELATED    BV    SOZOMEN. 

The  philosopher  had  come  to  Nice,  for  the 
purpose  of  displaying  his  learning,  and  of  oppos- 
ing and  deriding  the  simple-hearted  Christians. 
An  old  Christian,  who  had  suffered  with  mag- 
nanimous constancy  during  the  late  persecu- 
tions, undertook  to  dispute  with  him.  Some 
were  ready  to  raise  a  laugh  at  the  old  man's  ex- 
pense, while  serious  persons  were  distressed  to 
witness  a  contest  apparently  so  unequal.  Re- 
spect for  the  man,  however,  induced  them  to 
permit  him  to  engage  in  the  discussion,  and  he 
addressed  the  philospher  in  these  terms  : 

"  Hear,  O  philosopher,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ.     There  is  one  God,  the  maker  of  heaven 


SUCCESS    or    MISSIONS.  117 

and  earth,  and  of  all  things  visible  and  invisible; 
who  made  all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power, 
and  confirmed  them  by  the  holiness  of  his  Spirit. 
This  Word,  whom  we  call  the  Son  of  God,  com- 
passionating the  sons  of  men,  involved  in  error 
and  wickedness,  chose  to  be  born  of  a  woman, 
to  converse  with  men,  and  to  die  for  them,  and 
he  will  come  again,  the  Judge  of  all  things 
which  men  have  done  in  the  body.  That  these 
things  are  so,  we  in  simplicity  believe.  Do  not 
then  labor  in  vain,  seeking  to  confute  things 
which  ought  to  be  received  by  faith,  and  inves- 
tigating the  manner  in  which  these  things  may 
or  may  not  be  ;  but  if  thou  believest,  answer  me 
now  that  I  ask  thee." 

Struck  with  this  plain,  authoritative  address, 
the  philosopher  said,  "  I  do  believe." 

He  also  advised  the  other  philosophers  pres- 
ent to  do  the  same,  declaring  that  he  was 
changed  by  a  divine  influence,  and  moved  by  a 
energy  which  he  could  not  explain. 

Lif..'  of  Joliii  (Jottoii,  p.  95,  note  C. 


118  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


CONVERSION  OF   IMIKZA   MAHOMED  ALL 

Mirza  Mahomed  Ali,  the  only  son  of  a  vener- 
able Persian  judge,  was  introduced  to  the  Scot- 
tish missionaries  at  Astrachan,  as  a  teacher. 
He  was  found  qualified  to  instruct  in  Turkish, 
Persian,  and  Arabic.  Discussions  became  fre- 
quent, and  although  they  often  produced  in  him 
the  most  violent  rage,  he  courted  their  renewal. 
At  length  his  mind  was  impressed  by  the  truths 
of  the  Gospel,  as  appears  from  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  journal  of  Mr.  McPherson. 

"Mahomed  Ali,  my  Arabic  teacher,  came  at 
his  usual  hour.  On  offering  a  few  remarks 
upon  the  absurdity  of  the  system  of  divinity 
which  formed  the  ground  work  of  our  studies,  I 
was  more  than  surprised  to  hear  him  reply,  '  I 
no  more  believe  what  is  contained  in  that  book,' 
pointing  to  the  Mahomedan  Confession  of  Faith. 
He  now  told  me,  that  his  soul  was  in  deep 
waters,  and  that  he  could  not  sleep  at  night 
from  reflecting  upon  his  perilous  situation,  in 
professing  a  religion  which  he  was  afraid  was 
not  the  true  one." 

From  this  time  he  appeared  to  be  in  great  an- 
guish of  spirit,  while  he  became  more  fully  con- 
vinced of  the   truth  of  Christianity.     After   his 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  119 

conversion,  he  confessed  that  the  fact  of  so 
many  Christian  missionaries  being  employed  in 
different  parts  of  the  world,  had  made  a  deep 
impression  on  his  lieart ;  tliat  he  began  to  sur- 
mise that  a  religion  which  could  lead  men  to  do 
so  much  for  their  fellow  creatures,  must  be  from 
God ;  whilst  among  Mohammedans,  none  seemed 
to  take  any  interest  in  the  condition  of  others, 
whether  they  were  in  the  way  to  heaven  or  not. 

He  was  much  affected  with  the  relation  in 
which  he  stood  to  his  venerable  father.  "  I  am 
sure,  said  he,  that  my  apostacy  will  bring  him 
down  with  sorrow  to  the  grave." 

The  following  conversation  took  place  between 
Mahomed  and  a  Persian  gentleman  sent  by  his 
father  to  admonish  and  reclaim  him. 

*'  So  you  intend  to  become  a  Christian  V 

'*  Yes,  I  do." 

"  Are  you  not  satisfied  with  the  Koran,  and 
with  your  own  religion  ?" 

"  No.  Can  you  prove  to  me  that  the  Koran 
is  a  revelation  from  heaven?" 

"  Come,  come;  tell  me  how  much  money  the 
English  Moollahs  have  given  you  for  becoming 
a  Christian  ?" 

"  Read  the  Gospels,  and  reflect  seriously  on 
them ;  and  at  the  end  of  three  days  you  will  not 
ask  me  that  question." 


120  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

"  Remember  your  father,  your  honor  your 
reputation,  are  all  at  stake  :  and  it  will  be  for 
your  advantage  in  this  world  not  to  change  your 
religion." 

*'  What  will  that  avail  me,  if  I  must  suffer  the 
wrath  of  God  in  hell  forever  1" 

"  You  will  be  persecuted." 

"  The  Gospel  saith,  And  unto  him  that  smi- 
teth  thee  on  the  one  cheek,  offer  also  the  oth- 
er." 

On  hearing  this  reply,  the  gentleman  was  con- 
founded, and  said,  "  Why  do  you  not  tell  your 
father  these  things  ?" 

"  By  the  blessing  of  God,  I  intend  to  inform 
him,"  was  the  reply. 

After  this,  his  father  treated  him  with  the  ut- 
most harshness.  He  was  confined  and  beaten 
severely,  until  the  missionaries  applied  to  the 
governor,  by  whose  authority  he  was  lodged  in 
safety  in  the  mission  house.  Afterwards  he  was 
publicly  baptized. 

The  convert  did  not  fail  to  exemplify  the 
meekness  of  a  Christian  under  the  abusive 
treatment  which  he  endured.  When  he  was 
brought  to  the  residence  of  the  missionaries,  his 
head  still  aching  from  the  blows  his  father  had 
given  him,  he  said,  "  I  have  suffered  much  since 
I  saw  you;    but   Christ   Jesus   suffered   much 


SUCCESS   OF   MISSIONS.  121 

more."  On  another  occasion,  being  asked,  how 
he  felt  while  his  f;ithcr  was  beating  him,  he  re- 
plied, "  O,  nothing  at  all ;  after  he  was  done,  I 
went  and  kissed  him." 

After  his  baptism  he  visited  his  father.  Both 
of  them  \vept  much.  The  natural  affections  of 
the  parent's  heart  were  not  changed  by  the  son's 
apostacy,  and  the  son's  were  only  strengthened. 
The  father  did  not  upbraid  him,  but  stated  his 
conviction, that  the  devil  had  obtained  possession 
of  him,  otherwise  he  never  could  have  forsaken 
the  Prophet,  nor  his  aged  parent.  He  inquired 
very  kindly  after  his  comfort.  A  few  days  after, 
Mohammed  Ali  received  a  note  from  his  father, 
containing  these  moving  appeals  : — "  O,  my  un- 
merciful son,  how  long  wilt  thou  pain  me  ?  I 
once  fondly  cherished  the  hope  that  when  I 
came  to  die,  I  should  have  laid  my  head  upon 
your  knees,  but  these  hopes  are  fled." 

The  afflicted  father  continued  to  urge  upon 
his  son  representations  designed  to  shake  his 
steadfastness,  until  at  last  he  consoled  himself 
with  the  Mohammedan  tenet,  that  his  son  was 
fated  to  be  an  infidel. 

The  son  became   a  zealous  advocate  for  the 

Christian    faith.     His    valuable   labors   proved 

highly  useful  to  the  mission.     After  the  lapse  of 

about  two  years,  however,  by  some  agency  that 

II 


122  SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS. 

was  never  divulged,  he  was  prohibited,  by  an 
order  from  the  governor-general  of  the  southern 
provinces  of  Russia,  from  engaging  in  any  mis- 
sionary operations.  He  was  not  even  allowed  to 
go  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  city  of  Astra- 
chan,  without  leave  from  the  police-master.  Nor 
was  this  all.  He  was  appointed  by  the  govern- 
ment to  the  office  of  teacher  in  Siberia — an 
appointment  equivalent  to  exile.  On  his  way  to 
the  secluded  spot,  to  which  he  had  been  ordered, 
he  passed  through  Kazan,  the  seat  of  one  of  the 
Russian  universities.  A  German  physician  of 
that  place  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  young 
convert,  so  struck  with  his  talents,  and  so  inter- 
ested in  his  history,  that  he  urged  the  principal 
persons  of  the  city  to  procure  a  change  of  his 
destination,  and  obtain  for  him  an  appointment 
to  a  professorship  in  that  city.  After  much 
delay,  the  request  of  the  petitioners  was  granted, 
and  Mahomed  Ali,  or  Alexander  Kazem  Beg, 
as  he  was  baptized,  was  appointed  professor  of 
oriental  languages  in  the  university  of  Kazan. 
That  station  he  now  holds ;  and  he  remains 
steadfast  in  the  faith,  adorning  the  doctrine  of 
God  the  Savior  by  a  life  and  conversation  be- 
coming the  Gospel. 

MisBionary   Annual,   1836,  p.    166,   and   Missionary  Herald,  1824, 
p.  125. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  123 

CONVERSION  OF  A  MOMAMMEDAN  MERCHANT. 

A  Mohammedan  mercliant,  who  gave  satisfac- 
tory evidence  of  conversion,  was  baptized  by  the 
American  missionaries  at  Bombay.  He  was  a 
merchant  of  Hyrabad,  a  city  nearly  four  hundred 
miles  east  ^from  Bombay.  Being  in  Bombay  for 
the  purpose  of  procuring  merchandize,  he  provi- 
dentially met  with  a  Christian  tract,  which  ex- 
cited his  attention,  and  led  him  to  seek  the 
instructions  of  the  missionaries.  He  soon  found 
that  Christianity  claimed  to  be  the  only  true  re- 
ligion, and  resolved  to  give  it  a  thorough  exam- 
ination. He  accordingly  committed  his  business 
to  the  hands  of  an  agent,  and  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  missionaries,  sat  down  to  the  study  of 
Henry  Martyn's  translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment into  Persian.  After  devoting  his  whole 
time,  for  nearly  six  months,  to  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  he  came  to  the  full  conviction  that  it  con- 
tained the  only  true  system  of  religion,  and,  as  it 
is  hoped,  heartily  embraced  it.  After  his  bap- 
tism, he  remained  a  short  time  in  Bombay,  and 
then  returned  to  his  family  at  Hydrabad.  What 
is  worthy  of  special  notice  in  the  history  of  this 
man  is,  the  readiness  with  which  he  laid  aside 
his  business,  till  he  had  given  the  new  religion  a 
fair  examination. 

Lite  of  Gordon  Hall,  p.  1G3 


124  SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS. 

CONVERSION   OF  CUPIDO. 

Cupido,  a  Hottentot,  was  remarkable  for 
swearing,  lying,  fighting  and  drunkenness.  His 
vices  often  laid  him  on  a  sick  bed.  He  was 
sometimes  afraid  of  God,  though  ignorant  of 
him ;  and  expected  that  his  conduct  would  prove 
the  destruction  of  his  soul.  He  begged  all  he 
met  to  point  out  some  mode  of  deliverance  from 
the  sin  of  drunkenness,  supposing  that  to  aban- 
don his  other  vices  would  be  easy.  Some  di- 
rected him  to  witches  and  wizards,  whom  he 
found  miserable  comforters ;  for  they  told  him 
that  when  persons  began  to  make  such  inquiries 
it  was  a  sure  sign  of  speedy  death,  and  that 
his  life  was  not  worth  a  farthing.  Others  pre- 
scribed various  medicines,  which  he  found  as 
unavailing  as  the  counsels  of  the  witches.  He 
was  providentially  led  to  Graaf  Reinet,  where  he 
heard,  in  a  discourse  from  the  missionary  Van- 
derlingen,  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
could  save  sinners  from  their  sins.  He  said 
within  himself,  "  That  is  what  I  want !  That  is 
what  I  want !"  He  repaired  to  the  missionaries, 
expressing  his  wish  to  become  acquainted  with 
this  Jesus.  And  he  told  all  he  met,  that  he  had 
at  last  found  one  who  could  save  sinners  from 
their  sins.  Upon  finding  that  the  preaching  of 
the  missionaries  fitted  his  own  case,   and  laid 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  125 

open  the  secrets  of  his  heart,  he  said,  *  This  is 
not  of  man,  but  of  God.'  After  he  had  rejoiced 
in  the  hope  of  divine  forgiveness,  it  was  his 
practice  to  recommend  Christ  to  others,  as  the 
only  remedy  for  sin,  who  could  destroy  it,  as  he 
himself  could  witness,  "  both  root  and  branch." 

ymith  and  Choulcs'   Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  411. 


COiNVERSION   OF  A  NATIVE  PRIEST  OF  CEYLON. 

In  an  interview  with  Mr.  Clough,  a  Wesleyan 
missionary,  the  priest  introduced  the  subject  of 
the  origin  of  evil,  with  the  inquiry, 

"  If  the  God  of  the  Christians  be  perfectly 
holy,  can  he  be  the  author  of  evil,  and  if  not, 
where  did  man  get  that  spirit  to  do  evil  ?" 

The  missionary  answered,  "  From  our  first 
parents." 

"  Whence  did  they  receive  it?" 

"  The  awful  consequence  of  disobedience  to 
their  Creator." 

"  But  how  this  disposition  to  disobey  God?" 

''Temptation,  and  the  devil  was  the  tempter." 

"  What  is  the  devil  ?" 

*'  An  evil  spirit." 

"Who  made  the  devil,  and  how  did  he  be- 
come such?" 

*11 


126  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

"  God  created  him  a  pure  angel,  but  he  re- 
belled." 

"  Whence  this  disposition  to  rebel  ?" 

The  missionary  here  found  himself  in  some 
difficulty,  but  concluded  by  telling  the  priest, 
good  men  had  said  many  things  on  the  subject ; 
but  this  only  is  sufficient  to  know — sin  is  in  the 
world,  and  God  has  threatened  to  punish  it,  and 
we  should  only  be  concerned  to  avoid  it,  and  do 
our  duty.  The  priest  said  he  had  thought  much 
on  this  point,  and  never  found  any  thing  so  sat- 
isfactory in  his  own  religion. 

At  another  interview,  the  priest  said  he  was 
in  great  perplexity  concerning  the  responsibility 
of  the  heathen. 

"  How  can  God  punish  an  idolater,  if  that 
idolater  worships  according  to  the  light  affiDrded 
him  ?" 

The  missionary  told  him  that  God  might  per- 
mit nations  to  remain  in  heathen  ignorance  in 
consequence  of  their  having  once  rejected  the 
Gospel ;  but  they  will  be  judged  according  to 
the  light  they  have.  Their  situation  is  deplora- 
ble, but  God  in  compassion  is  now  about  to  make 
them  another  offer  of  salvation.  *'  I  have  now 
to  offi^r  you,"  said  he,  "  the  blessings  of  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  if  you  reject  this 
offer,  you  will  assuredly  be  condemned  at  the 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  127 

last  day."  The  priest  was  greatly  agitated,  and 
gathering  up  his  loose  garments,  with  a  counte- 
nance of  great  concern,  replied  mildly,  "I  hardly 
know  what  to  do.  I  have  been  brought  up  in 
the  religion  which  I  now  profess,  and  am  settled 
in  it.  I  know  not  how  to  think  about  changing 
it,  and  it  is  a  thing  I  cannot  at  present  enter- 
tain." 

The  missionary  afterwards  gave  him  a  copy 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  during  several  suc- 
cessive interviews,  explained  its  difficulties.  At 
length  the  priest  confessed  his  fear  that  the  reli- 
gion of  Buddhu,  in  which  he  and  his  country- 
men  believed,  was  wrong.  "During  the  last 
three  weeks,"  said  he,  ''I  have  frequently  re- 
turned home,  after  my  interviews  with  you,  una- 
ble to  sleep  for  many  nights."  As  to  changing 
his  religion,  he  added,  "1  am,  in  my  present 
situation,  as  comfortable  as  I  can  wish  with 
regard  to  the  things  of  this  world  ;  but  as  soon 
as  I  throw  off  my  priestly  garments,  I  shall  be 
deprived  of  all  means  of  support,  and  be  brought 
into  distress." 

Mr.  Clough  took  measures  to  protect  his  in- 
quirer from  insult,  and  to  provide  for  his  support, 
if  he  should  eventually  prove  sincere.  While 
this  was  doing,  and  the  baptism  of  the  priest 
expected,  the   affair  was  blazed  abroad.     The 


128  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

High  Priest  of  the  district  was  so  alarmed  by 
the  intelligence,  that  he  assembled  fourteen  of 
his  head  priests,  and  sent  them  to  persuade  their 
brother,  if  possible,  to  abandon  the  idea  of  em- 
bracing Christianity.  Besides  the  priests,  there 
were  his  family  connexions,  some  weepijig,  some 
scolding,  and  others  threatening  to  put  an  end 
to  their  existence.  Many  head  men  of  the  dis- 
trict came  with  large  presents,  saying,  "If  you 
forsake  the  priesthood,  it  will  ruin  our  religion 
in  this  country."  But  he  broke  through  them, 
and  made  his  escape,  at  the  hazard  of  his  life. 
The  conversion  of  this  priest  shook  the  faith  of 
many  others. 

Missionary  Museum,  p.  152. 


CONVERSION   OF   ANUNDO. 

Another  native,  of  respectable  caste  and  fam- 
ily, who  has  received  an  English  education,  has 
been  publicly  received  into  the  Christian  church, 
in  the  person  of  Anundo  Chund  Moojoomdar. 
Anundo  was  admitted  a  pupil  in  the  General 
Assembly's  school,  on  its  opening  in  August, 
1830.  In  accordance  with  the  system  of  tuition 
pursued  in  the  school,  he,  together  with  his  class- 
fellows,  soon  commenced  the  study  of  the  New 


SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS.  129 

Testament.  It  was  not  long  before  his  mind  be- 
came arrested  by  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
The  ideas,  the  prospects,  the  images,  the  illus- 
trations, all  were  so  peculiar,  and  seemed  so  ap- 
posite and  so  true,  that  glimpses  of  light  flashed 
through  his  soul,  and  he  was  often  heard  to  ex- 
claim, '  How  beautiful,  how  tender,  how  kind, 
how  full  of  love  and  goodness  !  Oh,  how  unlike 
the  spirit  and  maxims  of  Hindooism  !  Surely 
this  is  the  truth!'  Never  was  there  a  more 
striking  exemplification  of  what  Owen  calls  '  the 
self-evidencing  power  of  the  Bible.'  As  the 
young  man  advanced  in  his  acquaintance  with 
its  contents,  he  constantly  contrasted  its  state- 
ments with  those  which  the  Brahmins  rehearsed 
from  their  Shasters  ;  and  he  appeared  as  it  were 
internally  to  see  and  feel  that  there  was  truth  in 
the  former,  and  error  in  the  latter.  He  de- 
manded no  external  evidence  to  authenticate  the 
divine  authority  of  the  Christian  scriptures.  To 
him  the  reading  of  them  seemed  like  the  pres- 
ence of  the  light  of  day  exposing  surrounding 
objects  in  their  true  colors  :  or  rather  like  the 
sudden  admission  of  the  solar  rays  into  a  dreary 
cavern,  bringing  to  view  the  hideous  and  loath- 
some objects  with  which  it  had  been  stored. 
Not  that  he  disparaged  miracles  and  prophecies; 
but  he  declared  that  these  were  not  necessary 


130 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


for  his  conviction ;  there  was  something  in  the 
whole  spirit,  and  plan,  and  announcements  of 
the  Gospel,  that  came  home  to  his  soul  in  the 
light  of  truth,  independent  of  external  proofs. 
Anundo  voluntarily  applied  to  Mr.  Duff  for  bap- 
tism. His  address  on  the  occasion  was,  in  sub- 
stance, '  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  feel  that  I  am  a 
sinner,  a  great  sinner,  a  sinner  that  deserves  to 
be  eternally  punished.  What  shall  become  of 
me  ?  If  I  die  this  night,  I  fear  I  shall  be  lost 
forever,  and  I  know  I  deserve  such  a  fate. 
What  shall  I  do  ?  I  am  troubled,  much  trou- 
bled, day  and  night  I  am  troubled.  But  in  the 
Bible  I  read  of  God's  mercy.  May  I  not  trust 
in  it  ?  I  sometimes  feel  that  I  may,  and  so  try 
to  think  and  do  what  is  good,  when  all  at  once 
I  feel  that  I  am  sinning  more.  Then  I  read  the 
Bible  ;  I  cannot  help  reading  it ;  and  there  I 
find  something  that  catches  me  in  a  way  which  I 
cannot  explain.  I  feel  that  Christ  is  the  only 
true  Savior.  Last  night  I  could  not  sleep,  and 
so  arose  and  lighted  my  lamp,  and  read  the  Bible, 
and  it  caught  me  ;  and  I  am  convinced  that  here 
is  the  only  way  of  salvation.  May  I  not  then 
publicly  profess  my  faith  in  Christ  by  baptism  V 

Quoted  in  the  Charleston  Observer,  from  tlie  Presbyterian  Ileview, 
(Scotcli,)  p.  285,     May,  1834. 


SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS.  131 


SECTION     IV 


Scriptural  knoivledge,  Christian  principle  and 
death-bed  sayings  of  converted  heathen. 


AN   INDIAN'S    VIEWS    OF   THIT  WAY  OF  SALVATION. 

A  North  American  Indian,  and  a  white  man, 
being  at  worship  together,  were  both  impressed 
so  deeply  under  the  same  sermon  as  to  com- 
mence seeking  their  salvation.  The  Indian 
soon  rejoiced  in  the  hope  of  divine  forgiveness. 
The  white  man  remained  in  deep  distress  of 
mind  until,  after  sinking  almost  in  despair,  he 
also,  at  length,  found  peace  in  believing.  Some 
time  afterwards,  meeting  his  red  brother,  he 
thus  addressed  him,  ''How  is  it  that  I  should 
be  so  long  under  conviction,  when  you  found 
comfort  so  soon?"  "O  brother,"  replied  the 
Indian,  "me  tell  you:  there  come  along  a  rich 
prince,  he  propose  to  give  you  a  new  coat;  you 
look  at  your  coat,  and  say,  'I  do'nt  know,  my 
coat  pretty  good;  I  believe  it  will  do  a  little 
longer,'  He  then  offer  me  new  coat;  I  look  on 
my  old  blanket;  I  say,  this  good  for  nothing; 
I  fling  it  right  away,  and  accept  the   new  coat. 


132  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

Just  SO,  brother,  you  try  to  make  your  old  right- 
eousness do  for  some  time,  you  loath  to  give  it 
up:  but  I  poor  Indian,  had  none;  therefore  I 
glad  at  once  to  receive  the  righteousness  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Burder's^Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  153. 


ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     SCRIPTURAL     TRUTHS      BY     A 
GREENLANDER. 

The  correct  scriptural  information  possessed 
by  the  converted  heathen,  is  truly  delightful. 
From  many  beautiful  specimens  of  the  views 
given  us  of  the  pious  Greenlanders,  we  select 
the  following.  Daniel,  with  some  other  of  his 
countrymen,  being  present  when  one  of  the 
European  brethren  had  cast  a  pewter  spoon, 
remarked  upon  the  process  of  polishing.  *'Now 
I  can  well  conceive  how  our  Saviour  acts  in 
the  circumcision  of  our  hearts,  and  how  He 
proceeds  even  to  the  end,  with  our  purification, 
when  we  surrender  our  hearts  to  Him.  He 
must  first  cut  away  all  the  coarse  stuff  that  is 
good  for  nought;  and  yet  He  afterwards  finds 
much  still  to  rub  off.  This  causes  Him  much 
trouble,  and  us  pain  too.  But  behold,  just  as 
the  brother  pours  on  the  burnishing  water,  to 


SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS.  13S 

do  it  the  easier,  and  to  make  the  spoon  the 
smoother,  and  brighter,  so  our  Saviour  sprinkles 
us  with  Ilis  own  blood,  makes  our  purification 
agreeable,  and  never  leaves  us  till  we  are  pleas- 
ant in  His  sight." 

On  another  occasion,  the  same  man  said, 
when  the  baptized  were  about  to  separate  for 
their  summer  occupations.  ''When  we  are 
among  savages,  we  hear  nothing  of  our  Saviour 
and  His  merits;  nothing  but  earthly  things- 
from  which  our  souls  receive  no  nourishment: 
hence  it  may  easily  happen  that  they  grow  dry, 
trifling  and  deceitful.  Yet  thouorh  we  have  no 
teachers  with  us  to  instruct  us,  we  have  the 
Holy  Spirit  everywhere,  whose  delight  it  is  to 
brincr  all  things  concerninor  our  Saviour  to  our 
remembrance.  O!  I  entreat  you,  give  heed  to 
the  direct  way  the  Spirit  points  to  a  bleeding 
Saviour;  and  whenever  ye  are  sensible  that  it 
is  not  well  with  you,  go  immediately  to  Him 
who  has  bought  you  with  his  blood,  and  beseech 
Him  to  draw  quite  near  your  hearts  again. 
And  when  ye  hear  the  savages  talk  unprofitable 
things,  do  ye  think  of  Christ  crucified." 

A  striking  simile  shall   close  these  extracts, 

"When  in  summer  we  carry  a  light,  usually  dry 

moss  soaked  with  oil,  from  one  tent  to  another, 

from  which  burning  flakes  fall   to  the  ground, 

1-2 


134  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

they  quickly  set  the  dry  grass  on  fire.  Thus, 
when  our  Saviour  came  upon  earth,  he  brought 
fire  along  with  Him,  and  scattered  it  around 
among  men.  And  now  He  sends  His  servants 
forth  into  all  the  world,  even  unto  us,  with  His 
word:  this  they  have  scattered  amongst  us,  and 
it  has  enkindled  and  put  life  into  our  hearts,  so 
that  we  no  longer  walk  in  darkness,  as  do 
others." 

Anecdotes  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc'y,  p.  86. 


KAPIOLANI'S  REMARKS. 

Kapiolani  belongs  to  what  may  be  called  the 
nobility  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  On  the  first 
arrival  of  missionaries  to  the  Islands,  she  was 
intemperate,  dissolute  and  degraded. 

Under  the  influence  of  Christian  instruction, 
she  has  become  not  only  perfectly  moral,  but  a 
''mother  in  Israel."  The  same  influence  served 
to  refine  her  manners,  as  well  as  amend  her 
heart.  The  elevated  stamp  of  her  piety  has 
been  evinced  by  expressions  like  the  following. 

"I  love  to  go  to  the  house  of  God,  for  then 
I  forget  all  about  this  world.  When  among  the 
chiefs,  I  hear  so  much  said  about  money,  and 
cloth,  and  land,  and  ships  and  bargains,  that  it 
makes  me  sick,  and  I  wish  to  go  where  I  can 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


135 


hear  about  God,  and  Christ  and  heaven.  This 
cures  all  my  sickness  and  I  never  get  tired 
of  it." 

"When  I  hear  preaching  about  Jesus  Christ, 
my  spirit  does  not  stay  in  me,  but  it  goes  out  to 
Jesus  Christ;  and  when  I  hear  about  God,  my 
spirit  goes  to  God;  and  when  I  hear  about 
heaven,  my  spirit  goes  up  to  heaven.  It  goes, 
and  then  it  comes  back,  and  then  it  goes  again, 
and  thus  it  continues  to  do." 

Once  she  inquired  of  her  spiritual  teacher, 
whether  he  did  not  think  she  had  two  souls. 
She  said,  "It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  one  good 
soul,  and  one  bad  one.  One  says,  God  is  very 
good;  and  it  loves  God,  and  prays  to  him,  and 
loves  Jesus  Christ,  and  loves  preaching,  and 
loves  talk  about  good  things.  The  other  one 
says,  it  does  no  good  to  pray  to  God,  and  go  to 
meeting  and  keep  the  sabbath." 

"The  heavens  and  earth,"  she  remarked  in 
conversation  with  Mr.  Ely,  "the  sun  moon  and 
stars,  the  birds  and  fishes,  the  seas,  mountains, 
vallies  and  rocks,  all  combine  to  praise  the 
Lord.  But  where  is  man,  poor  sinful,  depraved 
man?  He  is  mute,  God  has  given  him  a  mouth, 
the  gift  of  speech  and  knowledge,  but  man 
refuses  to  praise  him.  Astonishing  depravity! 
They  are  most  favoured  of  the  Lord,  and  still 


136 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


most  rebellious!  They  can  praise  Satan.     He 
is  their  God."     As  she  spoke,  she  wept. 

This  converted  female,  elevated  and  sancti- 
fied by  the  influence  of  Christtimity,  would 
have  completed  her  life  the  dissolute  and  de- 
graded victim  of  intemperance,  but  for  the 
establishment  of  a  mission  among  those  isles  of 
the  sea. 

Missionary  PleraM,  1828,  p.  98. 


PUAA'S   INaUIRIES. 

Mr.  Richards,  among  other  statements  indi- 
cating extraordinary  attention  to  religion  at 
Lahaina,  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  the 
year  1825,  mentions  the  following  incidents 
respecting  Puaa,  a  bosom-friend  of  the  king. 

Upon  calling  for  religious  instruction  with  his 
wife,  she  said.  "We  have  come  to  you,  stag- 
gering as  we  come.  We  do  not  know  how  to 
walk;  do  tell  us  how.  We  two  cannot  go  alone 
for  we  do  not  know  the  road.  You  must  go 
forward  and  lead  us.  We  two  know  each 
other's  hearts,  but  you  do  not  know  them;  we 
wish  to  reveal  them  to  you."  The  husband 
added.  "Yes,  we  will  throw  out,  and  throw 
out,  and  throw  out,  till  you  know  all  our  hearts, 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  137 

and  then  you  must  sort  out  the  good  and  the 
evil,  that  we  may  know  what  is  right  and  what 
is  wrong,  We  are  exceedingly  ignorant  and 
left-handed.  You  must  teach  us  that  we  may 
know  and  become  wise." 

O,  how  it  would  have  rejoiced  the  hearts  of 
our  Christian  friends   in  America,  could  they 
have  seen  with  what  docility  and  interest  these 
persons  listened  to  the  story  of  our  Saviour. 
In  a  subsequent  part  of  the  journal,  it  is  said, 
This  evening,  Puaa  came   into  the  house  in 
great   agitation,    and    said    with    a   strong    but 
trembling  voice.      "Great    is   my  pain!    Here, 
give  me  some   medicine.     I  am   in  a  most  grip- 
ing pain    at  my  vitals,  and  you   are  my  physi- 
cian."    His  countenance  was  so  distorted,  and 
his  gestures  so  oppressive,  that,  at  first,  I  under- 
stood him  literally;  but  soon  perceived  my  mis- 
take and  said  to  him,   "I   can  give  you  some 
medicine  which   is  very   bitter,   but  it  will  cer- 
tainly cure  you,  if  you  take  it   according  to  my 
directions."     He  replied,  "I  suppose  your  medi- 
cine is,  to  repent  and  wash  in  the  blood  of  Je- 
sus."    I  said,  "Yes,   that  will  cure  you."     We 
were  now  interrupted,  but,  as  soon  as  he  could, 
he  resumed  the  subject  of  his  sins.     He  said, 
"I  called  on  you   this  morning,  and  you  sowed 
some  good  seed;  but  as  soon   as  I  went  out,  I 


12 


138  SUCCESS    OF     MISSIONS. 

met  some  men  from  the  ships,  and  they  sowed 
tares.  These  men  stagger  me:  I  cannot  go 
straight,  I  begin  to  think  about  God  and  good 
things,  and  the  evil  thoughts  spring  up  in  my 
heart — they  cannot  dwell  together — it  is  truly 
like  the  cholic."  Here  his  wife  interrupted 
him  and  said,  "We  must  fight  I  suppose."  I 
answered,  "Yes,  thus  Paul  did.  He  had  a  war 
in  his  heart:  and  now  I  can  assure  you  that  if 
)'^ou  fight,  you  will  conquer,  and  at  length,  will 
see  all  )^our  enemies  dead  before  you."  He  ex- 
claimed exultingly,  "Dead?"  "Yes,"  said  I. 
He  swung  his  hands  and  turned  his  head  in 
triumph  saying.  "Then  I'll  fight — then  I'll 
fight." 

Missionary  Herald,  1826,  p.  147. 


A    HINDOO     FEMALE    HAPPY     IN     THE     KNOWLEDGE 
OF   CHRIST. 

The  Rev.  Eustace  Carey,  a  missionary  re- 
turned from  India,  relates  a  pleasing  anecdote 
of  a  native  Christian.  To  his  inquiries  res- 
pecting the  state  of  her  mind,  she  replied. 
"Happy!  Happy!  I  have  Christ  here,''  laying 
her  hand  on  the  Bengalee  Bible;  "and  Christ 
here,''  pressing  it  to  her  heart,  "and  Christ 
there,"  pointing  towards  heaven.     Happy  Chris- 


SUCCESS    OP   MISSIONS.  139 

tian,  to  whatever  part  of  the  universe  she  might 
be  removed,  the  Lord  was  with  her. 

Anecdotes  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc.  p.  136. 


FIRMNESS  OF  CONVERTS    IN    MADAGASCAR. 

The  following  narrative  was  given  by  the 
Rev.  Richard  Knill,  of  St.  Petersburgh,  at  an 
anniversary  meeting  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
School  Society. 

A  missionary  from  Madagascar  informed  me 
that,  when  he  first  arrived  there,  out  of  a  popu- 
lation of  four  millions,  there  were  only  two  per- 
sons acquainted  with  the  alphabet.  A  school 
was  commenced:  but  at  first  only  three  boys 
attended.  Its  advantages  however  at  length 
began  to  be  prized;  and  now  20,000  of  the  peo- 
ple are  able  to  read  the  Scriptures. 

An  insurrection  broke  out  in  one  part  of  the 
island,  and  the  army  were  ordered  to  march 
and  quell  it.  Before  the  expedition  set  out, 
the  national  Idol  was  to  be  produced  and  the 
men  were  to  be  sprinkled  with  holy  water,  in 
which  the  idol  had  been  dipped. 

Three  hundred  of  the  soldiers  had  cast  off 
idolatry;  and  when  they  heard  that  the  idol 
was  to  pass  in  procession  before  the  ranks,  they 


140  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

were  in  a  state  of  consternation.  The  leader  of 
the  Christian  band  requested  his  brethren  to 
assemble  in  the  evening,  in  order  to  consult  as 
to  what  measures  should  be  taken.  The  whole 
of  the  300  could  read,  and  each  had  a  portion 
of  the  Scriptures.  It  was  the  unanimous  opin- 
ion, that  if  they  did  not  worship  the  idol  they 
would  be  considered  as  confederate  with  the 
rebels.  Some  of  the  men  remarked  that  they 
were  poor  feeble  creatures,  and  hoped  God 
would  forgive  them,  though  they  did  worship 
the  idol:  others  alleged  that  they  were  married 
men;  that  if  they  refused  to  pay  homage  to  the 
idol,  they  might  be  put  to  death,  their  wives 
would  be  left  widows,  and  their  children  father- 
less. The  leader  of  the  party  took  his  New 
Testament  from  his  pocket,  and  having  heard 
the  opinions  of  his  comrades,  he  began  to  put 
his  school  instruction  into  exercise,  and  read — 
"//e,  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me, 
is  not  worthy  of  me;  and  he,  that  loveth  son  or 
daughter  more  than  7ne,  is  not  ivorthy  of  me; 
and  he,  that  loveth  his  life  more  than  me,  is  not 
worthy  of  7ne."  They  then  all  knelt  down  to  ask 
God  to  strengthen  them  for  the  day  of  trial; 
and  afterwards  pledged  one  another  to  stand  to 
their  resolution.  One  of  them  was  a  traitor, 
and  went  and  gave  information  to  the  command- 


SUCCESS    OP   MISSIONS.  141 

ing  officer,  saying,  that  the  300  believers  (for 
so  they  were  called)  had  resolved  not  to  wor- 
ship the  national  god.  The  leader  was  sent  for, 
and  he  determined  rather  to  die  than  to  deny 
his  Master.  On  being  questioned,  he  acknow- 
ledged the  fact:  the  commanding  officer  order- 
ed the  300  not  to  attend  when  the  idol  was 
brought  out,  but  told  them  that  the  god  would 
be  avenged  on  them.  The  army  arrived  near 
the  spot  where  the  rebels  resided:  it  was  al- 
most impregnable,  and  the  army  had  to  pass 
through  a  ravine  between  two  lofty  mountains: 
the  300  Christian  soldiers  v/ere  ordered  to  pro- 
ceed in  the  front  ranks;  but  it  was  so  ordered 
by  Providence,  that,  in  the  position  in  which 
they  stood,  the  arrows  of  the  enemy  could  not 
touch  them.  When  the  sun  set  they  were  or- 
dered to  retreat:  the  roll  was  called,  and  not 
one  of  the  300  Christian  soldiers  was  missing, 
though  there  had  been  great  destruction  among 
their  heathen  comrades.  The  other  soldiers  in- 
quired by  what  means  they  had  been  preserved, 
and  what  paper  it  was  which  they  had  in  their 
pockets:  they  replied,  the  New  Testament, 
which  they  had  learned  to  read  in  the  schools; 
but  it  was  not  that  which  secured  them,  but  the 
God  whom  they  served.  The  others  requested 
also  to  be  taught  to  read;  and,  before  the  army 


142  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

returned,  upwards  of  a  hundred  more  professed 
the  Christian  faith. 


THE  HEART   OF  A   NORTH   AMERICAN   SAVAGE 
SOFTENED  BY  THE  GOSPEL. 

"Whenever  I  saw  a  man  shed  tears,"  said  an 
Indian,  "I  used  to  doubt  his  being  a  man.  I 
should  not  have  wept,  if  my  enemies  had  cut 
my  flesh  from  my  bones,  so  hard  was  my  heart 
at  that  time:  that  I  now  weep,  is  of  God,  who 
hath  softened  the  hardness  of  my  heart." 

Thornton's  Anecdotes,  vol.  2.  p.  255. 


IMPLEMENTS    OF    WAR    CONVERTED    TO    PEACEFUL 
AND    EVEN  SACRED    PURPOSES. 

Among  the  natives  of  the  South  Sea  Islands, 
war  was  formerly  as  prevalent  as  it  now  is  rare, 
and  the  cruelties  of  their  conflicts  were  of  the 
most  revolting  description;  to  specify  only  their 
treatment  of  infant  captives,  the  tender  babe 
was  transfixed  to  the  mother's  heart  by  a  ruth- 
less weapon;  or  it  was  caught  by  the  rough 
grasp  of  the  warrior  and  dashed  against  the 
rocks;  or  it  was  wantonly  thrown  up  in  the  air 
and  caught  upon  his  spear,  where  it  writhed  in 
agony  and  died;  som.etimes  the  ferocious  war- 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  143 

rior  strung  his  infant  prisoners  upon  a  cord  pas- 
sed through  the  head  from  ear  to  car,  and  with 
a  fiend  like  pleasure  trailed  them  upon  the  sand 
in  triumph. 

But  since  Christianity  has  inculcated  her 
lessons  of  mercy,  war  is  comparatively  un- 
known. The  following  expressions  which  have 
been  frequently  uttered,  denote  the  happy 
change  that  has  taken  place  in  the  natives. 
"Let  our  hands  forget  how  to  lift  the  club  or 
throw  the  spear;  let  our  guns  decay  with  rust, 
we  want  them  not:  for  though  we  have  been 
pierced  with  balls  or  spears,  if  we  pierce  each 
other  now,  let  it  be  with  the  word  of  God.  How 
happy  are  we  now,  we  sleep  not  with  our  cart- 
ridges under  our  heads,  our  muskets  by  our 
sides,  and  our  hearts  palpitating  with  alarm. 
Now  we  have  the  Bible,  we  know  the  Saviour, 
and  if  all  knew  him,  if  all  bowed  the  knee  to 
him,  there  would  be  no  more  war  on  the  earth." 

Says  Mr.  Ellis— "Often  have  I  seen  a  gun- 
barrel  or  other  iron  weapon,  that  has  been  car- 
ried to  the  forge,  submitted  to  the  fire,  laid  up- 
on an  anvil  and  beaten,  not  exactly  into  a 
plough-share  or  a  pruning-hook,  (for  the  vine 
does  not  stretch  its  luxuriant  branches  along 
their  sunny  hills)  but  beaten  mto  an  implement 
of  husbandry,  and  used  by  the  proprietor  in  the 


144  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

culture  of  his  plantation.  Their  weapons  of 
wood  also  have  often  been  employed  as  handles 
for  tools;  and  their  implements  of  war,  have 
been  converted  with  promptitude  into  the  furni- 
ture of  the  earthly  sanctuary  of  Jehovah.  The 
last  pulpit  I  ascended  in  the  South  Sea  Islands 
was  at  Rurutu.  The  stairs  that  led  to  it  were 
guarded  by  rails.  I  asked  ray  companions 
where  they  had  procured  these  rails;  and  they 
replied,  that  they  had  made  them  with  the  han- 
dles of  warrior's  spears!" 

Ellis's    Polynesian  Researches,  vol.  2.  p.  519.  Lend. 


TWO   PRAYING  NATIVES  SAVED  FROM  DROWNING. 

About  the  time  when  the  Gospel  won  its  first 
converts  in  Raiatea,  one  of  the  South  sea  Isl- 
ands, a  canoe  with  four  men  was  upset  at  sea. 
Two  of  them,  having  embraced  Christianity, 
immediately  cried,  "Let  us  pray  to  Jehovah: 
for  He  can  save  us,"  "Why  did  you  not  pray 
to  him  sooner?"  replied  their  pagan  comrades, 
"here  we  are  in  the  water,  and  it  is  useless  to 
pray  now."  The  Christians,  however,  did  cry 
earnestly  unto  their  God,  while  all  four  were 
clinging  for  life  to  the  broken  canoe.  In  this 
situation  a  shark  suddenly  rushed  towards  them, 
and  seized  one  of  the  men.     His  companions 


SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS.  145 

held  him  fast  as  long  as  they  could,  but  the 
monster  prevailed,  and  dragged  the  unfortunate, 
Struggling  victim  away,  marking  the  track  with 
his  blood.  He  was  one  of  the  idolaters.  After 
some  time,  the  tide  bore  the  surviving  three  to 
the  reef,  when,  just  as  they  were  cast  upon  it, 
a  second  shark  snatched  the  other  idolater  with 
his  jaws  and  carried  off  his  prey.  The  suffer- 
ing man  shrieked  for  assistance,  but  the  two 
Christians,  struggling  amid  the  breakers,  could 
give  him  no  aid.  The  remarkable  preservation 
of  the  praying  survivors  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion upon  the  minds  of  their  countrymen,  and 
powerfully  recommended  the  "God  that  heareth 
prayer." 

Tyerman  and  Bennct's  Journal,  vol.  2,  p.  99.  Lond. 


THE    SPIRIT  OF  REVENGE    OVERCOME  BY  CHRISTIAN 
PRINCIPLE  . 

Among  the  Greenlanders,  it  was  deemed 
sacredly  obligatory  to  avenge  sooner  or  later 
the  murder  of  a  father.  A  son,  about  14  years 
of  age,  was  present  when  his  father  was  mur- 
dered. He  grew  up  to  manhood,  and  became 
an  active  fisherman  and  hunter.  He  did  not 
dare  yet  to  attempt  the  work  of  revenge,  for  the 
murderer  was  so  superior  in  influence  to  the 
13 


146  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

rest  of  the  natives  that  the  Danes  called  him 
king.  But  he  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  duty 
required  of  him  by  the  habits  of  the  country. 
To  ensure  success  for  his  undertaking  he  visit- 
ed a  distant  part  of  the  country,  where  his  rela- 
tives resided,  and  after  detailing  the  murder  of 
his  father,  with  all  the  dreadful  circumstances 
M'hich  attended  it,  he  prevailed  on  some  of  his 
kinsmen  to  return  with  him  and  render  him 
their  aid.  While  he  watched  for  a  favourable 
moment  to  avenge  his  father's  death,  twenty 
years  after  the  murder  was  committed,  the  Mo- 
ravian missionaries  often  visited  him.  Their 
efforts  awakened  in  his  breast  a  desire  to  learn 
something  about  the  Lord  of  Heaven.  In  the 
course  of  their  instruction,  they  told  him,  it 
was  the  command  of  God  that  he  should  do  no 
murder.  He  looked  at  them  sternly  and  in 
silence,  and  went  av/ay  sorrowful.  They  saw 
him  no  more  for  several  days,  during  which  he 
and  his  relations  consulted  frequently  upon  their 
intended  act  of  revenge.  He  was  seen  often- 
times walking  up  and  down  the  shore  alone, 
apparently  under  the  influence  of  powerful  and 
contending  emotions. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  he  visited  the  Mis- 
sionary again,  and  when  requested  to  state 
what  his   feelings  were,   he  replied   thus.      '*I 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  147 

will  and  I  will  not,  I  hear  and  J  do  not  hear. 
I  never  felt  so  before."  Upon  being  asked 
what  he  meant,  he  replied.  *'I  will  forgive  him 
and  I  will  not  forgive  him,  T  have  no  ears,  when 
they  want  that  I  shall  revenge  myself;  and  yet 
I  have  ears."  The  missionary  pointed  him  to 
the  last  scenes  of  our  Saviour's  life,  to  his  for- 
giveness of  his  murderers.  "But  he  was  bet- 
ter than  we  are,"  was  the  reply  of  the  Green- 
lander.  The  death  of  Stephen  was  then  read 
to  him,  he  replied,  "Good  priest,  my  heart  is  so 
moved!  I  will — but  give  me  still  a  little  time: 
when  I  have  brought  the  other  heart  to  silence 
and  am  quite  changed,  I  will  come  again." 

At  last  he  came  with  a  joyful  countenance, 
"Now  I  am  happy,"  said  he,  "I  hate  no  more,  I 
have  forgiven." 

On  this  occasion  a  great  number  of  people 
were  assembled,  to  whom  he  announced  openly 
his  belief  in  Christianity.  His  relations  stood 
around  with  gloomy  and  dissatisfied  looks.  The 
other  converts  drew  nigh  to  welcome  him. 
"Receive  me  now"  he  said  "as  a  believer.  He 
went  to  his  home,  and  again  strove  hard  with 
the  demon  within  his  heart,  whose  whispers 
spoke  of  the  sweetness  of  the  avenging  deed. 
But  after  some  days  he  sent  his  enemy  the  fol- 
lowing message.      "I   am  now  become   a   be- 


148 


SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS. 


liever,  and  you  have  nothing  to  fear."  Upon 
repeated  assurances,  the  former  came  one  day 
with  a  few  attendants,  armed,  however,  against 
any  attack.  He  was  received  in  the  most 
friendly  manner,  and  returned  home  in  peace. 
"You  need  fear  me  no  longer"  said  the  Green- 
lander  in  parting,  **I  have  forgiven  it."  The 
convert  was  invited  to  return  the  visit.  He 
went,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  his  friends,  quite 
alone:  he  was  received  kindly,  after  a  friendly 
interview  he  set  out  on  his  return.  But  when 
he  was  not  far  from  the  shore,  he  perceived 
water  in  his  kajak.  He  hastened  to  the  land 
and  on  examination  found  that  a  hole  was  cut 
in  his  boat.  Some  time  after  he  told  this  to 
the  missionary,  and  said  with  a  smile.  "He  is 
still  afraid  I  shall  slay  him  for  my  father's  death 
and  has  done  this  for  that  reason,  but  I  will  not 
harm  him." 

Game's  lives  of  Missionaries,  vol.  1,  p.    259-260.   and  Burder's 
Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  174. 


BENEVOLENT  SYMPATHY  OF  CONVERTED  GREEN- 
LANDERS. 

It  was  mentioned  to  a  very  poor  congrega- 
tion of  converted  Greenlanders,  that  a  Mora- 
vian station  among  the  Indians  of  N.  America 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  149 

had  been  attacked  by  hostile  savages,  that  most 
of  the  missionaries  had  been  murdered,  and 
that  the  surviving  converts  had  fled,  in  the  most 
destitute  condition,  to  Bethlehem.  The  Green- 
landers  burst  into  tears  at  the  recital.  Nor 
was  their  sympathy  expressed  only  by  weeping. 
Immediate  efforts  were  made  to  send  relief  to 
the  distant  sufferers.  Money,  they  had  none. 
But  such  articles,  as  constituted  their  wealth, 
were  liberally  furnished.  ''I,"  exclaimed  one, 
''have  a  fine  rein-deer  which  I  will  give."  *'I," 
said  another,  ''have  a  line  pair  of  rein-deer 
boots  which  I  will  cheerfully  contribute." 
*'And  I,"  said  a  third,  "will  send  them  a  seal 
that  they  may  have  something  both  to  eat  and 
to  burn."  The  value  of  the  contributions  was 
faithfully  transmitted  by  the  missionaries. 

Smith  and  Choulos'  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  48. 


REMARKS  OF  A  DYIXG  HOTTENTOT. 

A  Hottentot,  named  John  De  Vriefs,  but 
usually  called  old  John,  connected  himself  with 
the  missionaries  in  South  Africa,  about  five 
months  before  his  death;  and  the  word  of  God 
had  almost  immediately  so  powerful  an  influ- 
ence over  his  heart,  that  every  one  who  knew 
*13 


150  SUCCESS   OF    MISSIONS. 

him  was  greatly  astonished  to  hear  him  express 
himself  as  he  did.  He  compared  his  sins  to 
the  grains  of  sand  upon  the  sea-shore,  bat  ex- 
ulted in  the  power  of  Jesus,  and  the  efficacy  of 
his  atonement. 

A  few  hours  before  his  death,  he  thus  ex- 
pressed himself  to  the  missionary,  "Dear  sir,  I 
will  supplicate  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  till  the  last 
minute,  I  will  not  leave  him,  and  he  will  not 
leave  me.  O!  Jesus  sticks  like  pitch  to  my 
heart." 

Something  however,  according  to  his  opinion, 
remained  yet  unaccomplished.  ''It  is  true," 
said  he,  "I  have  long  since  pledged  my  soul  and 
body  to  Jesus.  Nothing  of  either  belongs  any 
more  to  me;  but,  that  word  yes,  I  have  not." 
meaning  that  he  had  not  full  assurance  of  heav- 
en. But  shortly  after,  he  not  only  was  satisfied 
that  he  had  given  himself  to  Jesus,  but  also  that 
Jesus  had  received  him:  and  then  he  desired  to 
''go  into  eternity  as  a  poor  miserable  sinner, 
saved  only  through  the  propitiation  of  Jesus." 
In  this  happy  frame  of  mind  he  departed  a  few 
minutes  afterwards. 

Anec(]otci5  of  Clirii5tiaa  Missions,  p.  121. 


SUCCESS    OF  MISSIONS.  151 

LAST    SAYINGS    OF    MAOAE  A  CONVERTED    NATIVE, 

OF     EIMEO,     ONE     OF     THE     SOUTH    8EA      ISLANDS. 

To  the  inquiries  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Orsmond, 
respecting  the  grounds  of  his  hope  of  heaven, 
he  replied — 

"The  blood  of  Jesus  is  my  foundation.  You 
tell  us  that  it  is  the  only  way  to  God.  I  believe 
that  Jesiis  will  save  me.  He  is  my  staff  now. 
What  I  grieve  at  is,  that  all  my  children  do  not 
love  him.  Had  they  known  the  distress  we 
used  to  feel  in  the  reign  of  the  devil,  they  would 
be  glad  to  take  the  Gospel  in  exchange  for  their 
follies.  Jesus  is  the  best  king;  he  gives  a  pil- 
low without  thorns." 

Shortly  afterwards,  he  replied  to  the  interro- 
gatory, "are  you  afraid  to  die?"  with  almost 
youthful  energy.  "The  ship  is  in  the  sea,  the 
sails  are  spread,  she  is  ready.  I  have  a  good 
pilot,  and  a  good  landing  place  before  me,  my 
outside  man  and  my  inside  man  differ.  Let  the 
one  rot  till  the  trumpet-blowing  time:  but  let 
my  soul  go  to  the  throne  of  the  Messiah." 

Here,  said  Mr.  Orsmond,  the  tears  gushed 
into  my  eyes,  I  thought  myself  by  the  side  of 
some  experienced  christian  in  England,  and 
said  in  my  heart,  "In  my  last  moments  may  I 
feel  as  happy  as  this  poor  Tahitian  feels."     He 


152  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

added  also,  ''here  is  one  going  down  to  the 
shades  of.  death  supported  by  a  hope  fiill  of  im- 
mortality and  saying,  'But  for  English  Chris- 
tians, I  had  died  a  miserable  slave  of  sin." 

Missionary  Herald,  1831.  p.  217. 


DEATH   OF  A   HINDOO    CONVERT. 

When  I  was  conversing,  said  Rev.  Mr.  Knill, 
in  1819,  w^ith  the  people  at  Tamaracoolum,  on 
the  importance  of  being  prepared  to  die,  one 
man  said,  "my  father  was  prepared."  "By 
what  means?"  "Through  the  merits  of  my  Sa- 
viour." "Did  he  live  a  good  life?"  "Yes,  after 
he  knew  the  good  way."  "Who  made  him 
good?"  "It  was  God."  "Did  your  father  say 
much  when  he  was  dying?"  "One  sentence  I 
remember."  "What?"  "He  said,  O  Jesus  re- 
ceive my  spirit!"  I  cannot  describe  what  I 
felt  when  the  poor  creature  told  me  this,  and  if 
we  compare  the  dying  expression  of  this  man, 
with  the  last  verse  of  the  epistle  of  James,  we 
shall  see  that  the  mission  was  not  established  in 
vain. 

Burder'a  Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  234. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  153 

DEATH  BED  EXPRESSIONS  OF  CONVERTED  NATIVES, 

OF     THE     SOUTH     SEA,     AND      SANDWICH     ISLANDS. 

"One  thing,  of  all  I  have  ever  heard  or  read," 
said  the  aged  Matahira,  "now  supports  my 
mind:  Christ  has  said,  I  am  the  way." 

**He  the  beloved  Son, 

The  Son  beloved,  Jesus  Christ. 
•  The  Father  gave, 

That  we  through  him  might  live" 
was  sung  by  another  in  the  native  language, 
with  the  last  breath  she  drew.  *'I  am  happy, 
I  am  happy"  were  among  the  last  words  of  the 
late  distinguished  regent  of  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands. These  are  expressions  no  pagan  ever 
used  in  looking  forward  to  his  dissolution. 

Ellis's,  Polynesian  Researches,  vol.  I.  p.  536. 


THE  DYING  TARTAR  AND    HIS  SON. 

A  young  Tartar,  of  noble  extraction,  visited 
Orenburg.  There  he  received  a  copy  of  the 
Tartar  New  Testament,  which,  there  is  reason 
to  hope,  has  been  blessed  to  his  conversion. 
He  and  his  parent  paid  a  visit  to  the  tomb  of  the 
Prophet,  in  Arabia,  and  afterwards  retired  into 
Egypt,  where  his  father  died   at  the  advanced 


154  SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 

age  of  105  years.  While  on  his  death  bed,  he 
called  his  son  to  him  and  said,  "Son  if  thou 
wilt  be  happy  follow  my  advice:  there  is  one 
book  and  one  book  alone  which  contains  the 
only  directions  for  the  attainment  of  true  felici- 
ty, that  book  is  the  New  Testament."  The 
copy  of  the  New  Testament  which  was  placed 
in  his  hands  was  printed  by  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society. 

Related  by  Dr.  Henderson,  in  London.  Panoplist,  1818.  p.  427. 


PEACEFUL  DEATH  OF  BRINDELBUND. 

A  few  years  ago,  died,  at  one  of  the  mission- 
ary stations  in  India,  a  native  called  Brindel- 
bund.  He  had  spent  sixty  or  seventy  years  in 
the  service  of  Satan.  He  was  a  byraggee,  that 
is,  one  who  professed  to  have  subdued  his  pas- 
sions; and  who  was,  as  they  express  it,  seeking 
some  one  who  is  loorthy.  He  went  to  Cutwa, 
when  he  attended  Mr.  Chamberlain's  preaching 
and  instructions.  "I  have  been,"  said  he 
*'many  years  from  one  holy  place  to  another, 
seeking  some  one  who  was  worthy,  and  to  offer 
my  flowery  (The  sweetest  flower  they  say  is 
the  human  heart;  this  is  their  figurative  way  of 
talking.)  "I  have  been  seeking  some  one  to 
whom  to  offer  my  flower,   who  is  worthy;  but 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  155 

never  have  I  found  one  till  now.  I  have  heard 
of  Jesus;  I  give  it  him."  The  old  man  was 
faithful  to  his  surrender,  he  never  took  his  heart 
from  Jesus.  Talking  to  his  Hindoo  brethren, 
he  would  say,  "And  whom  do  you  need  but 
him  whom  I  have  found."  He  would  take  his 
wallet  of  books  and  travel  two  or  three  hundred 
miles  to  distribute  them:  and  this  he  did  for 
fourteen  or  fifteen  years.  Mrs.  Chamberlain, 
in  his  last  days  would  go  to  his  bed-side  and 
say,  "Brindelbund  shall  I  get  you  some  tea? 
Can  you  eat  bread?  "He  would  lay  his  hand 
on  the  New  Testament,  "Sister,  this  is  my  tea, 
this  is  my  bread;  man  was  not  made  to  live  by 
bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God."  How  valuable  the 
Gospel  which  can  thus  give  happiness  to  a  man 
who  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  the 
bondage  of  idolatry. 

Cluistian  Missions,  Lond.  Tract  Soc'j'.  p.  135. 


POMPEY. 


An  old  African  negro  who  had  long  served 
the  Lord,  when  on  his  death  bed  was  visited  by 
his  friends,  who  came  around  him,  lamenting 
that  he  was  going  to  die,  saying,  "Poor  Pompey, 
poor  Pompey  is  dying."     The  old  man,  anima- 


156 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


ted  with  the  prospect  before  him,  said  to  them 
with  much  earnestness,  ''Don't  call  me  poor 
Pompey,  I  king  Pompey,"  referring  to  the  pas- 
sage in  which  the  glorified  saints  are  spoken  of 
as  being  made  kings  and  priests  unto  God, 
Rev.  i.  6. 

Christian  Missions,  p.  144. 


TRIUMPHANT  DEATH    OF  A  CONVERTED   BRAHMIN. 

The  following  statement  was  made  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Carey,  from  India,  in  an  address  be- 
fore the  American  Tract  Society,  in  1825. 

A  young  Brahmin  obtained  one  of  our  tracts, 
and  after  reading  it,  he  came  to  us  full  of  anxi- 
ety, inquiring,  "What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?" 
We  instructed  him  out  of  the  Gospel.  He  came 
again  and  again,  and  at  length  renounced  his 
idols,  and,  we  have  no  doubt,  gave  his  heart  to 
Christ.  After  many  weeks  he  joined  a  Chris- 
tian church.  But  God  did  not  suffer  him  to 
remain  with  us  many  years.  He  fell  a  prey  to 
the  cholera.  A  little  before  he  died,  another 
young  native  christian  came  to  see  and  to  com- 
fort him;  and  as  he  laid  his  languishing  head 
on  the  bosom  of  his  young  friend,  he  broke  out 
in  an  ecstacy,  and  said  in  his  native  tongue. 
"Sing,  brother,  sing."  "And  what  shall  1  sing?" 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  157 

was  the  inquiry  of  his  friend.  "Sing  salvation, 
salvation  tlirough  the  death  of  Jesus!  Salvation 
through  Jesus  Christ."  And  I  believe  these 
were  the  last  words  he  uttered. 

iMissiosiary  Ilorald,  1825.  p.  219. 


THE  PICERIAN  LEPER  ON  lUS   DEATH   BED. 

Said  the  Rev.  Mr.  Abeel,  at  a  public  meet- 
ing. I  heard  the  other  day,  from  one  of  the 
brethren  who  had  formerly  been  in  Siberia,  but 
was  recalled  from  the  field  at  the  elevation  of 
the  Emperor  Nicholas  to  the  throne,  a  case  of 
the  most  thrilling  interest.  That  brother  told 
me,  that,  as  he  was  passing  one  day  among  a 
collection  of  Tartar  tents,  he  found  a  man  lying 
in  the  last  stage  of  that  loathsome  disease,  the 
leprosy.  As  the  missionary  looked  upon  him, 
he  lifted  up  his  death-stricken  eyes,  and  fasten- 
ing them  upon  his  countenance,  said,  **I  know 
you."  "How  can  that  be,"  replied  the  mission- 
ary, "have  you  ever  seen  me  before?"  "Oh 
yes,  I  have,"  replied  the  dying  man,  "Did  you 
not  preach  three  years  ago  in  such  a  Bazaar?" 
"I  cannot  really  tell,"  said  the  missionary,  "I 
have  no  particular  remembrance  of  it."  "Dont 
you  remember,"  said  the  man  in  a  tone  of  sur- 
prise, "vou  stood  upon  the  steps  of  such  a 
14 


158  SUCCESS    OF  MISSIONS. 

house?"  ''Oh  yes,"  answered  the  other,  "I  do 
remember  it  now."  "And  do  you  remember 
what  you  preached  there?"  "No,"  said  the 
missionary,  "I  have  no  recollection."  "You 
told  us,"  said  the  man,  "about  Jesus  who  died 
to  save  sinners,  and  that  men  of  every  nation 
might  come  to  him  and  he  would  receive  and 
save  them;  Oh  sir,  I  never  heard  such  things 
before.  I  then  believed  in  Jesus;  I  received 
him  as  my  Savior,  I  never  heard  of  him  before 
or  since.  But  now  I  am  dying  and  am  looking 
to  none  other  to  help  me."  Penetrated  with 
what  he  had  heard  and  seen,  he  went  to  another 
tent,  and  found  men  drinking.  He  asked  them, 
"Why  do  you  not  go  to  your  brother,  he  lies 
there  dying  with  nobody  to  help  him?"  "Broth- 
er!" exclaimed  they  with  indignation,  "He  is 
no  brother  of  ours;  he  is  a  dog;  and  has  aban- 
doned us,  and  his  soul  is  going  dov/n  swiftly  to 
hell."  The  missionary  thus  repulsed,  went 
back  to  comfort  his  dying  christian  brother. 
He  entered  the  solitary  tent,  but  "the  spirit  had 
fled."  There  lay  the  follower  of  the  Lamb, 
dead,  and  with  none  to  bury  him,  in  so  much 
that  the  missionary  was  obliged  to  dig  a  hasty 
grave,  and  roll  into  it  the  emaciated  and  half 
consumed  body. 


CHAPTER   III. 


THE      PRIVATIONS       AND     PERILS     OF 
MISSIONARIES. 


•*Tho'  toil  ami  danger  cloud  his  path, 
Tho'  famine  stand  in  league  with  death, 

Like  Paul,  Ae  journeys  on, 
O'er  desert  wave  and  tainted  clime, 
To  woo  a  guilty  world  from  crime. 
By  love  and  love  alone." 

H.  Brown. 


A   MISSrONARY  ''PERPLEXED   BUT   NOT   IN    DE3PAIR." 

A  missionary  and  his  wife  had  been  located 
by  an  English  Society  in  the  colony  at  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  or  among  the  Bushmen  on  its 
borders.  The  opposition  they  met  with  from 
the  colonists  destroyed  all  hope  of  success. 
Means  failed  from  the  society;  the  wife  of  the 
missionary  was  sick,  and  he  must  either  find 
means  to  return  to  England,  or  penetrate  the 
vast  wilderness  for  many  hundred  miles.  While 
he  was  making  it  a  matter  of  prayer,  his  wife, 
regardless  of  her  own  comfort  desired  that  they 


160  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

should  of  their  own  means,  procure  tlie  com- 
mon conveyance  of  the  country,  and  depart  in 
searcli  of  a  settlement  in  the  wilderness.  The 
missionary  consented  willingly.  They  travelled 
over  four  hundred  miles  but  met  with  no  encour- 
agement of  attaining  their  object.  Almost 
despairing,  they  encamped  one  night,  and, 
upon  rising  in  the  morning,  they  discovered  a 
savage  chief,  with  his  train,  not  far  distant. 
The  blacks  advanced  and  addressed  them. 
They  had  been  deputed  by  their  tribe,  and 
were  then  on  a  journey  of  five  hundred  miles  to 
the  colony  where  they  desired  to  procure  a 
missionary!  As  may  be  supposed  the  man  of 
God  hesitated  not,  but  returned  with  the  savage 
chief  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  his  tribe. 

Cliiistia,!!  Missions,  (London,)  p.  195. 


HARDSHIPS    OF    THE    FIRST    MISSIONARIES    AT    THE 
SOUTH   SEA  ISLANDS. 

For  many  years  they  were  wont  to  travel  with- 
out shoes  over  stony  tracks  and  sandy  wastes, 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  small  and  deriding 
groups.  Sometimes,  in  crossing  sandy  plains, 
they  furnished  themselves  with  bundles  of  foli- 
age and  laid  down  a  green  leaf  at  every  step,  as 
a  cool  and  soft  stepping  place.     This  they  found 


OF    MISSIONARIES.  161 

the  only  method  to  save  their  naked  feet  from 
being  blistered  by  the  burning  sand.  Thus  did 
they  toil  in  their  Master's  service,  in  miserable 
worn  out  vestments,  and  often  but  scantily  sup- 
plied with  food.  Their  condition  was  at  first 
rendered  more  uncomfortable  by  the  depreda- 
tions of  the  natives  and  by  "trials  of  cruel 
mockings." 

Tycrman  and  IJennet,  vol.     1.  p.  137.  Lond. 


ARRAIGNiMENT   OF  A    JIISSIOXARY  AT  AVA. 

In  the  month  of  November  1836.  Mr.  Kin- 
caid  was  summoned  from  his  home  to  the  pal- 
ace. The  early  hour  and  other  circumstances 
indicated  that  a  fearful  storm  hung  over  the 
mission  at  Ava.  Nor  was  he  mistaken  in  this 
apprehension.  On  reaching  the  Royal  Court 
he  was  confronted  with  a  list  of  charges,  of 
which  the  substance  is  as  follows — 

The  American  teacher  is  stirring  up  divisions 
among  the  people,  teaching  them  to  despise  the 
religion  of  their  country,  and  to  follow  a  religion 
which  the  king,  the  princes  and  noblemen  do 
not  approve.  He  is  not  contented  to  live  quiet- 
ly in  the  Golden  City,  as  other  foreigners  do, 
but  in  the  city  and  all  places  round,  is  giving 
books  and  preaching  a  foreign  religion,  and  his 


162  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

object  is  to  bring  into  contempt  and  destroy  the 
religion  which  has  been  revered  for  ages. 

After  some  replies  had  been  made  by  Mr.  K. 
one  of  the  functionaries  told  him  publicly,  they 
were  determined  to  stop  the  distribution  of 
books  and  preaching.  Mr.  K.  remonstrated 
on  the  violence  of  this  proceeding,  and  then 
said,  "You  will  allow  Papists  and  Mussulmans 
to  follow  their  religion  unmolested,  and  converts 
from  among  the  Burmans  are  not  disturbed." 
They  cried  out  most  violently,  "No  Burmans 
enter  the  Papist  and  Mussulman  religions,  and 
those  people  do  not  give  books  or  preach."  Mr. 
K.  asked,  "Do  you  intend  to  drive  me  out  of 
the  country?"  One  of  the  leading  men  replied, 
"No,  but  you  must  promise  to  give  no  more 
books,  and  not  go  about  preaching."  "I  can- 
not make  such  a  promise."  "You  must  prom- 
ise." "I  fear  God  more  than  earthly  kings,  and 
cannot  promise:  if  you  cut  off  my  arms,  and 
then  my  head  I  dare  not  promise."  They 
then  said  he  was  not  fit  to  live  in  the  empire, 
and  must  be  sent  off.  The  court  became  ex- 
ceedingly violent.  Although  Mr.  K.  had  rea- 
son to  expect  the  worst  consequences,  his  per- 
sonal liberty  was  not  abridged.  His  labors 
however  were,  for  a  length  of  time,  crippled  by 
the  opposition  of  the  Government.     His  own 


OF    MISSIONARIES.  163 

firmness  in  resisting  a  power  so  capricious  and 
cruel  as  the  Burman  Government  is  as  com- 
mendable as  it  was  hazardous;  and  the  sudden 
darkness,  brought  by  this  calamnity  upon  the 
bright  prospects  of  the  Burman  Mission,  shews 
the  continual  need  in  which  the  missionaries 
stand  of  the  prayers  of  Christians, 

American  Baptist  iMagazine,  1835,  p.  3G5. 


DR.  JUDSON'S   IMPRISONMENT. 

Sufferings  of  Dr.  Judson,  missionary  to  Bur- 
mah,  while  imprisoned,  during  the  war  between 
Burmah  and  Bengal,  as  described  by  himself  in 
a  letter  dated  Feb.  25,  1826. 

I  was  seized  on  the  8th  of  June  1824, — and 
in  company  with  Dr.  Price,  three  Englishmen, 
one  Armenian  and  one  Greek,  was  thrown  into 
the  "death  prison"  at  Ava,  where  we  lay  eleven 
months — nine  months  in  three  pair,  and  two 
months  in  five  pair  of  fetters.  The  scenes  we 
witnessed  and  the  sufferings  we  underwent, 
during  that  period  I  would  fain  consign  to  ob- 
livion. From  the  death  prison  at  Ava,  we  were 
removed  to  a  country  prison  at  Oung-ben-lay, 
ten  miles  distant,  under  circumstances  of  such 
severe  treatment,  that  one  of  our  number  the 
Greek,   expired  on  the  road;  and  some  of  the 


164  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

rest,  among  whom  was  myself,  were  scarcely 
able  to  move  for  several  days.  It  was  the  in- 
tention of  the  Government,  in  removing  us  from 
Ava,  to  have  us  sacrificed,  in  order  to  ensure 
victory  over  the  foreigners;  but  the  sudden  dis- 
grace and  death  of  the  adviser  of  the  measure 
prevented  its  execution.  I  remained  in  the 
Oung-ben-lay  prison  for  six  months,  in  one  pair 
of  fetters;  at  the  expiration  of  which  period  I 
was  taken  out  of  irons,  and  sent  under  a  strict 
guard  to  the  Burmese  head-quarters  at  Mah- 
looan,  to  act  as  interpreter  and  translator.  Two 
months  more  elapsed,  when  on  my  return  to 
Ava,  I  was  released,  at  the  instance  of  Moung- 
shaw-loo,  the  north  governor  of  the  palace,  and 
put  under  his  charge.  During  the  six  weeks 
that  I  resided  with  him,  the  affairs  of  govern- 
ment became  desperate,  the  British  troops  mak- 
ing steady  advances  on  the  capital:  and  after 
Dr.  Price  had  been  twice  despatched  to  nego- 
ciate  for  peace,  (a  business  which  I  declined  as 
long  as  possible,)  I  was  taken  by  force  and  as- 
sociated with  him.  We  found  the  British  above 
Pahgan:  and  on  returning  to  Ava  with  their 
final  terms,  I  had  the  happiness  of  procuring 
the  release  of  the  very  last  of  my  fellow  prison- 
ers.    And  on  the  21st  inst.  obtained  the  reluct- 


OF    MISSIONARIES.  165 

ant  consent  of  government  to  my  own  final  de- 
parture from  Ava  with  Mrs.  Judson. 

On  my  first  imprisonment,  the  small  house 
which  I  had  just  erected,  was  plundered,  and 
every  thing  valuable  confiscated.  Mrs.  J.  how- 
ever, was  allowed  to  occupy  the  place,  which 
she  did  until  my  removal  to  Oung-ben-lay, 
whither  she  followed.  Subsequently  to  that 
period,  she  was  twice  brought  to  the  gates  of 
the  grave;  the  last  time  with  the  spotted  fever, 
while  I  was  absent  at  Mah-looan.  She  had 
been  senseless  and  motionless  several  days, 
when  the  providential  release  of  Dr.  Price  at 
the  very  last  extremity  gave  an  opportunity  for 
such  applications  as  were  blest  to  her  relief — 
Even  little  Maria,  who  came  into  the  world  a 
few  months  after  my  imprisonment,  to  aggra- 
vate her  parent's  woes;  and  who  has  been,  from 
very  instinct,  it  would  seem,  a  poor,  sad,  crying 
thing,  begins  to  brighten  up  her  little  face  and 
to  be  somewhat  sensible  of  our  happy  deliver- 
ance. 

Missionary  Herald,  18-26.  p.  363. 

Some  conceptions  can  be  formed  of  the  suf- 
ferings of  Dr.  Judson  during  his  imprisonment 
at  Ava,  from  the  following  statement. 

The  white  prisoners  were  all  put  inside  of 
the  common  prison,  in  five  pairs  of  irons  each; 


166  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

and  where  they  were  so  crowded  with  Burman 
thieves  and  robbers,  that  they  had  not  sufficient 
room  to  lie  down.  There  were  at  the  time  near 
one  hundred  prisoners,  all  in  one  room,  without 
a  window  or  a  hole  for  the  admittance  of  air, 
and  the  door  half  closed.  This  too  was  after 
the  severe  hot  season  had  commenced. 

Missionary  Herald,  1827.  p.  86. 


THE  MISSION  HOUSE  AT  LAHAINA,  ONE  OP  THE 
SANDWICH  ISLANDS,  ASSAILED  BY  ENGLISH  SEA- 
MEN. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Stewart  writes  thus  from  the 
scene  of  this  outrage. 

How  great  was  my  astonishment,  at  the  pe- 
culiar circumstances  in  which  I  found  our  ines- 
timable and  beloved  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich- 
ards! How  was  I  surprised  to  meet,  at  my  first 
approach  to  the  house,  the  presented  bayonet, 
and  to  hear  the  stern  challenge  of  the  watchful 
sentry  "who  goes  there?" — and  when  I  assured 
him  that  I  was  a  friend,  how  inexplicable  to  my 
mind  was  the  fact  of  receiving  the  cordial  em- 
braces of  my  brother,  not  in  the  peaceful  cot- 
tage of  the  missionary,  but  in  the  midst  of  a 
garrison,  apparently  in  the  momentary  expecta- 
tion of  the  attack  of  a  foe,  and  to  find  the  very 


OP    MISSIONARIES. 


167 


couch  on  which  was  reclining  one,  who,  to  us, 
has  been  most  emphatically  a  sister,  surround- 
ed by  the  muskets  and  the  spears  of  those, 
known  to  the  world  only  by  the  name  of  sav- 
ages! 

My  first  thoughts  were  that  a  revolt  of  the 
island  against  the  general  government  had 
taken  place,  in  which  our  friends  had  been 
seized,  and  were  guarded  as  captives — or  that 
some  formidable  party  of  unfriendly  natives  had 
risen  with  the  determination  of  destroying  them, 
and  that  they  were  protected  by  the  higher 
chiefs — but  as  soon  as  an  explanation  could  be 
given,  I  learned  that  their  peril  was  from  false 
brethren,  if  the  outcasts  of  a  civilized  and 
christian  country  can  be  designated  by  such 
terms.  The  seamen  of  a  large  ship,  at  anchor 
at  Lahaina,  exasperated  at  the  restraints  laid 
on  tiieir  licentiousness  through  the  influence  of 
the  mission,  had  carried  their  menaces  and 
open  acts  of  violence  against  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R. 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  cause  the  chiefs  to  arm 
a  body  of  men  to  defend  them  at  the  hazard  of 
life.  At  tliat  very  hour,  three  boats  crews, 
amounting  to  near  forty  men,  were  on  shore 
with  the  sworn  purpose  of  firing  their  houses 
and  taking  their  lives.  But  as  every  thing, 
when  1  left   them,  was  in   a  posture   to   secure 


168 


PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 


their  entire  safety,  it  is  unnecessary  to    enter 
further  into  the  particulars  of  the  subject. 

Blissioiiary  Herald,  182G.  p.  244. 

Mr.  Richards,  in  a  hasty  line,  written  about 
the  time  his  house  was  attacked  says — "We 
are  alive,  though  an  hour  ago  we  expected 
nothing  but  immediate  death." 


ASSAULT    UPON    THE    MISSIONARIES    AT     OAHU    BY 
AMERICAN  SEAMEN. 

A  joint  letter  from  the  missionaries  at  Oahu, 
dated  March  10,  1826 — contains  the  following 
statements. 

In  a  recent  visit  at  this  place  from  American 
seamen,  particularly  of  the  United  States  Schoon- 
er Dolphin — on  account  of  the  Tahu  prohibit- 
ing females  from  visiting  the  ships  for  the  pur- 
pose of  prostitution,  the  lives  and  families  of 
your  missionaries  have  been  materially  exposed. 

The  mob  threatened  to  demolish  our  houses, 
unless  the  tabu  were  taken  off.  They  attacked 
the  house  in  which  the  principal  chiefs  reside, 
dashed  in  the  windows  with  clubs,  attempted  to 
force  the  doors  and  windows  of  Mr.  Ellis's 
house,  in  which  Mr.  Bingham's  family  reside, 
and  repeatedly  offered  violence   to  Mr.   Bing- 


OP   MISSIONARIES.  169 

ham's   person.      But  he   was   rescued    by    the 
timely  interposition  of  the  natives. 

It  is  proper  in  our  view,  the  letter  adds,  that 
the  christian  public,  both  in  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica, should  know  that  the  persons  and  lives  of 
the  Sandwich  Island  missionaries  are  exposed 
to  the  violence  of  nominal  Christians,  who  op- 
pose, with  the  bitter  spirit  of  persecution,  the 
laudable  efforts  of  the  chiefs  to  suppress  the 
crimes  and  vices  of  the  country,  in  obedience 
to  the  requirements  of  the  word  of  God. 

Missionary  Herald,  1&27.  p.  370. 


ILL     TREATMENT    OF    ]MORAVIAN    MISSIONARIES    IN 
GREENLAND. 

The  first  missionaries  to  Greenland  were 
often  driven  to  allay  the  cravings  of  hunger  with 
shell-fish  and  sea-v/eed:  they  had  resource  even 
to  the  remnants  of  tallow  candles,  and  thought 
themselves  happy,  when  they  could  procure 
some  train-oil  to  mix  up  with  their  scanty  mor- 
sel of  oatmeal.  Their  perseverance  under  these 
painful  privations  only  excited  the  contempt  of 
the  natives. 

The  Greerdanders  would  leave  them,  in  the 
midst  of  their  instructions,  to  attend  a  dancing- 
match.  Sometimes  they  told  the  missionaries 
15 


170  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

they  had  heard  enough  already  of  spiritual 
things,  from  abler  instructors.  Besides  being 
volatile  and  trifling,  they  used  all  possible 
means  to  entice  the  missionaries  to  a  conform- 
ity with  their  own  dissolute  practices.  Failing 
of  success  in  this  wicked  design,  they  would 
annoy  them,  by  mocking  their  religious  exer- 
cises, by  praying  with  all  kinds  of  ridiculous 
mimicry  or  by  beating  drums  in  time  of  worship. 
The  poverty  of  the  missionaries  drew  upon  them 
from  the  natives  many  cutting  sarcasms.  And 
if  the  reply  was  made  by  the  devoted  men,  that 
they  did  not  stay  in  Greenland  for  the  sake  of 
personal  advantages,  that  good  fare  was  not  the 
reward  for  which  they  labored,  that  they  sought 
the  salvation  of  the  people;  the  natives  would 
retort  with  a  jeer,  "Fine  fellows,  indeed,  to  be 
our  teachers!  We  know  very  well  that  you 
yourselves  are  ignorant,  and  have  learned  your 
lessons  of  others."  The  Brethren  bore  this 
painful  treatment  with  equanimity.  But  when 
the  savages  perceived  that  they  could  effect 
nothing  in  this  way,  they  begun  to  insult  and 
abuse  the  persons  of  the  missionaries.  They 
pelted  them  with  stones,  and  destroyed  some  of 
their  property. 

One  night,  the  Brethren  heard  a  noise  on  the 
outside  of  their  tent;   and  perceived  that  some 


OP    MISSIONARIES. 


171 


one  was  pulling  its  curtains.  On  going  out, 
they  beheld  a  company  of  Greenlanders,  some 
of  whom  had  naked  knives  in  their  hands.  The 
assailants  could  not  be  dispersed  until  they  were 
threatened  with  fire  arms.  Some  years  after- 
wards it  was  ascertained  from  converted  natives, 
that  at  this  time  a  plot  was  formed  to  destroy 
the  missionaries,  and  it  was  to  execute  this  cru- 
el purpose  that  the  conspirators  gathered  around 
the  tent  at  night,  at  the  time  when  their  plans 
were  thus  frustrated  by  the  vigilance  and  firm- 
ness of  their  intended  victims. 

Amid  such  apalling  discouragements,  did  the 
Moravians  persevere  in  the  work  of  evangeli- 
zing this  inhospitable  country. 

Life  of  Mathew  Stack,  quoted  in  fliissionary  Herald,  1823.  p.  340. 


NARROW  ESCAPE    OF  L.   C.     DEHNE,   MORAVIAN  MIS- 
SIONARY TO    S.   AMERICA. 

In  Nov.  1757,  the  Carribbee  Indians,  set  out 
with  the  intention  of  executing  their  resolution, 
long  since  determined  upon,  of  murdering  me. 
One  day,  while  I  sat  at  my  dinner  table,  I  saw 
fifty  men  approaching  in  their  canoes,  who  pres- 
ently after  surrounded  my  cabin.  Some  were 
armed  with  iron  hoes  and  mattocks;  others  car- 
ried swords  and  such  like  instruments.     Going 


172  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

out,  I  spoke  to  them  in  the  Arawak  language 
and  bade  them  welcome  in  a  friendly  fnanner. 
They  answered  roughly  that  I  should  speak  the 
Carribbee  tongue.  In  the  mean  tmie,  I  took 
care  to  observe  which  of  them  was  their  com- 
mander. Perceiving  that  I  did  not  understand 
the  Carribbee,  after  some  consultation  in  this 
language,  they  ordered  their  interpreter  to  step 
forth  and  ask  me  in  Arawak:  "Who  gave  you 
permission  to  build  and  to  live  here?"  Ans. 
"The  Governor."  "Why  have  you  come  upon 
our  land?"  I  now  stepped  up  to  the  chief  and 
thus  frankly  addressed  him:  "I  have  brethren 
living  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean,  who,  when 
they  heard  that  Indians  lived  here  who  were 
ignorant  of  their  Creator,  have  sent  me  to  you 
in  love,  that  I  should  first  learn  your  language, 
and  then  tell  you  about  the  true  God.  At  some 
future  time,  you  may  expect  to  see  more  of  my 
brethren  come  hither  on  the  same  errand."  "I 
suppose  you  are  a  Spaniard?"  "No."  "Or  a 
Frenchman?"  "No."  "Are  you  a  Dutchman 
then?"  "Yes,  I  came  from  Holland  and  a  good 
way  further  off.  In  short,  I  am  one  of  the 
Brethren  that  love  you,  and  live  on  the  other 
side  of  the  ocean."  "Well,  did'nt  you  hear 
that  the  Indians  were  going  to  kill  you?"  "Yes, 
but  I  did  not  believe   it,   and  you   have  those 


OF    MISSIONARIES.  173 

among  you,  who  have  been  to  see  me  and  know 
that  I  love  them."  ''That  is  true;  and  they  have 
also  told  me  that  you  were  a  Christian  very  dif- 
ferent from  other  white  people."  "Well  if  you 
knew  that  I  loved  you,  how  could  you  think  of 
killing  me?"  He  replied  laughing,  "Well,  in- 
deed, I  never  thought  of  that."  Upon  this  all 
changed  their  savage  features  and  walked  off." 

"In  this  manner  the  Savior  helped  me  on 
from  day  to  day,  insomuch,  that  at  the  close  of 
the  year,  I  found  much  cause  for  praise  and 
thankfulness,  to  the  Giver  of  every  good  and 
perfect  gift." 

"During  this  period,  I  suffered  much  outward 
distress,  and  often  I  rose  in  the  morning  without 
knowing  what  I  should  eat,  or  where  I  should 
procure  food,  yet  whenever  I  was  perfectly  des- 
titute, undoubtedly  according  to  the  direction  of 
Him  who  fed  Elijah  at  the  brook  Cherith,  War- 
aus  or  other  Indians  came  and  shared  their 
*Cassavi'  with  me." 

Anecdotes,  of  Missionary  Wortliies.  p.  50.  &c. 


DESIGN    AGAINST    THE    LIFE    OF    A  MORAVIAN   MIS- 
SIONARY. 

An  Indian  on  the  Susquehannah,  having  been 
reproved  severely  by  Bishop  Cammerhof,  for  his 
*15 


174  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

wicked  life,  was  so  much  exasperated,  that  he 
followed  him  into  the  woods,  with  a  determina- 
tion either  to  cruelly  beat  or  to  kill  him.  When 
he  overtook  the  missionary,  he  found  him  so 
mild  and  friendly,  that  immediately  repenting  of 
his  wicked  design,  he  gave  ear  to  Cammerhoff's 
admonitions  and  returned  home  with  a  very  dif- 
ferent disposition,  from  that,  with  which  he  set 
out.  Some  time  afterwards,  he  began  to  feel 
his  sinfulness:  at  length  he  became  a  joyful  be- 
liever in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  by  the  very 
man  he  had  sought  to  destroy^ 

Loskiel's  hist'y,   quoted  in  Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  179. 


EXPOSURE  AND  COURAGE  OF  FRANCIS  XAVIER 

While  Xavier  preached  in  the  kingdom  of 
Travancore,  it  was  invaded  by  a  host  of  armed 
robbers,  the  Badages,  who  were  the  terror  of 
the  country.  They  came  well  armed,  and  in 
good  order  under  the  command  of  the  naiche, 
or  Lord  of  Modure,  a  valiant  leader.  The  peo- 
ple of  the  maritime  villages  fled  at  their  ap- 
proach, and  carried  into  the  interior,  the  news 
of  the  invasion. 

Xavier  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  their  approach, 
remembering  how  they  had  distressed  the  peo- 
ple the  year  before,  fell  prostrate    n  the  ground 


OF    MISSIONARIES.  175 

in  an  agony  of  intercession.  ''O  Lord"  said  he 
^'remember  that  thou  art  the  God  of  mercies 
and  protector  of  the  faithful:  give  not  up,  to  the 
fury  of  these  wolves,  that  flock,  of  v/hich  Thou 
hast  appointed  me  the  pastor,  that  these  new 
christians,  who  arc  yet  so  feeble  in  the  faith 
may  not  repent  their  embracing  it.  We  repose 
our  confidence  in  Thee." 

He  arose,  and  animating  with  his  own  daring 
spirit  those  who  stood  around,  he  bade  this 
band  of  fervent  christians  closely  to  follow  him, 
and,  with  a  crucifix  in  his  hands,  he  advanced 
with  a  rapid  step  towards  the  plain  where  the 
enemy  were  marching  on.  When  he  arrived 
within  a  distance,  from  v/hich  his  powerful 
voice  could  be  distinctly  heard,  he  stopped  and 
said  to  them  in  a  menacing  tone,  "I  forbid 
you,  in  the  name  of  the  living  God,  to  pass  fur- 
ther, and,  on  his  part,  command  you  to  return 
the  way  you  came."  The  bandits,  who  were  in 
front,  were  so  struck  with  the  sudden  appear- 
ance and  startling  address  of  Xavier,  that  they 
stood  still,  gazing  at  him  with  a  superstitious 
terror.  These  plunderers  had  doubtless  heard 
of  Xavier  on  the  coast  of  Fishery,  and  of  the 
miraculous  powers  imputed  to  him.  Those  who 
were  in  the  rear,  asked  the  reason  of  this  delay; 
answer  was  returned  from  the  front  ranks,  that 


176  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

they  had  before  their  eyes  the  person  who  was 
the  mighty  priest  of  his  God,  habited  in  black, 
of  a  tall  stature  and  menacing  aspect,  and  that 
the  fire  flashed  from  his  eyes.  A  panic  spread 
among  them:  turning  back  they  marched  away, 
awed  by  the  enthusiasm  and  indomitable  con- 
duct of  one,  who  felt  that  he  stood  alone  in  the 
breach  between  his  people  and  the  slaughter. 
The  Christians,  who  had  followed  him,  ran  to 
the  villages  to  tell  of  the  retreat  of  the  robbers: 
the  King  sent  for  him  forthwith,  and  called  him 
his  father,  and  his  brother,  and,  though  he 
heeded  not  Xavier's  exhortations,  he  gave  to  his 
subjects  liberty  to  become  Christians  if  they  so 
desired." 

Game's  lives  of  eminent  missionaries,  vol.  3.  p.  57. 


ANOTHER  INSTANCE  OF  XAVIER'S   PERILS. 

Annoyed  by  his  success  in  propagating  Chris- 
tianity in  Japan,  the  priesthood  made  a  last  and 
desperate  plot  for  his  destruction.  The  Portu- 
guese' fled  on  board  their  ships,  from  the  fury  of 
the  idolatrous  part  of  the  people,  whom  the  bon- 
zas  had  inflamed  for  their  purpose,  Edward  de 
Gama,  sought  his  friend,  Xavier,  every  where, 
and  at  last  found  him  in  a  poor  dwelling,  with 
a  small  band  of  his  most  zealous  converts,  calm- 


OF   MISSIONARIES.  177 

ly  awaiting  his  fate.  De  Gama  implored  him 
lo  embark,  as  the  priesthood,  who  were  for  the 
moment  uppermost,  thirsted  for  his  blood.  "Ed- 
ward," he  said,  "I  am  unworthy  of  the  favor  of 
martrydom;  yet  will  I  not  render  myself  more 
unworthy  of  it,  which  assuredly  I  should  if  I 
embarked  with  you.  For,  what  scandal  would 
it  give  to  my  new  converts  by  flying  hence! 
Might  they  not  take  occasion  from  it,  to  violate 
their  promises  to  God,  when  they  should  see  me 
wanting  to  the  duties  of  my  ministry?  I  will 
guard  my  flock,  and  die  with  them  for  the  sake 
of  the  God  of  all  mercies,  who  has  redeemed 
me  at  the  price  of  his  own  life.  Ought  not  I 
to  seal  my  love  to  Him  by  my  blood,  and  to  pub- 
lish, by  my  death,  that  all  men  are  bound  to  be 
faithful  to  Him  who  suffered  for  them  on  the 
cross?"  This  generous  answer  so  touched  De 
Gama,  that  he  hastened  to  the  merchants  at  Fi- 
gen,  three  miles  distant  and  then  on  board  ship. 
All  of  them,  soldiers,  sailors  and  merchants, 
marched  in  a  body  into  Fucheo,  and,  by  their 
numbers  and  resolute  countenance,  broke  all 
the  measures  of  the  bonzas.  Thus  was  the 
life  of  Xavier  saved  almost  by  a  miracle,  and 
his  influence  was  augmented  by  the  effort  de- 
signed to  destroy  him. 

Game's  lives  of  eraiaent  missionaries,  vol.  3.  p.  119 


178  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

A  MISSIONARY  ATTACKED  BY  A  TIGER. 

A  Hottentot  standing  near  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Schmitt,  was  unexpectedly  assailed  by  a  tiger. 
The  furious  animal  with  open  jaws  and  lashing 
tail,  and  screaming  with  startling  violence, 
sprang  upon  the  native,  and  both  rolled  together 
upon  the  ground.  The  missionary  pointed  his 
gun  at  the  tiger,  but  feared  to  shoot  lest  the  ball 
should  take  effect  upon  the  Hottentot,  who  was 
rolled  over  incessantly  in  the  struggle.  The 
tiger  suddenly  released  his  hold  and  sprang  to- 
wards the  missionary.  Mr.  Schmitt's  left  arm 
was  seized  by  the  jaws  of  the  tiger,  with  his 
right  hand  he  grasped  one  of  the  paws  of  his 
assailant,  while  the  other  paw  inflicted  its  blows 
upon  his  breast.  Both  fell  in  the  struggle, 
happily,  in  such  a  position  that  the  missionary's 
knee  rested  upon  the  breast  of  the  animal.  He 
grasped  the  tiger's  throat  with  his  right  hand, 
at  the  same  time  compressing  the  chest  of  the 
disabled  animal  as  violently  as  possible.  After 
inflicting  another  wound  upon  the  arm,  the  tiger 
released  his  grasp,  and  lay  inactive,  sending 
forth  the  most  hideous,  hoarse  and  convulsive 
groans,  v;hile  his  starting  eyes  flashed  fire  in 
the  most  frightful  manner.  In  this  condition 
the  missionary  succeeded  in  retaining  his  fierce 


OP    MISSIONARIES.  179 

assailant,  until  a  party  of  Hottentots  came  up 
and  shot  the  animal,  and  thus  released  him, 
exhausted  and  severely  lacerated,  from  his  per- 
ilous situation. 

Latrobe's  Journal  of  a  visit  to  Africa,  p.  298. 


NARROW  ESCAPE  OF  COUNT  ZINZEXDORF. 

This  zealous  friend  of  missions,  visited  the 
Indians  along  the  course  of  the  Susquehannah 
river  to  promote  among  them  the  establishment 
of  Moravian  missions.  In  one  of  these  visits, 
he  had  occasion  to  encamp  several  days,  with  a 
few  Moravian  brethren,  among  the  Shawanese 
a  very  depraved  and  cruel  tribe.  Conrad  Weis- 
ser,  a  man  well  acquainted  with  the  customs 
and  manners  of  the  Indians,  had  accompanied 
the  Count  to  this  spot,  and  had  left  him  for  a 
short  time  promising  to  return.  The  Shawa- 
nese thought  that,  as  Europeans,  the  Count  and 
his  companions  came  either  to  trade  or  buy 
land;  and,  though  he  endeavored  to  explain  the 
true  aim  of  his  coming,  they  were  not  satisfied 
that  his  intentions  were  such  as  he  described. 

It  appeared  afterwards  that  the  savages  had 
conspired  to  murder  him  and  his  whole  compa- 
ny. But  the  design  was  mercifully  frustrated. 
Conrad    Weisser,    who    was    absent,   and    who 


180  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

could  know  nothing  of  the  plot,  became  so  un- 
easy that  he  could  not  prolong  his  stay.  He 
was  thus  brought  back,  providentially,  to  the 
party  marked  out  for  destruction,  just  in  time  to 
discover  the  treacherous  plan,  and  by  his  influ- 
ence and  dexterity  to  prevent  its  execution. 
Thus  while  Count  Zinzendorf,  unconscious  of 
danger,  retired  frequently  to  his  tent,  to  pray 
for  the  savages  around  him,  and  while  he  en- 
joyed no  security  except  such  as  the  entrance 
of  his  tent,  fastened  by  a  pin,  furnished,  the 
shield  of  Providence  extended  over  him  its 
ample  protection. 

Loskiel's  Mission  to  the  Indians  of  N.  America,  part  ii,  p.  32, 


PERSECUTION     OF      CATHOLIC     MISSIONARIES      IN 
CHINA. 

A  letter  from  a  Catholic  missionary  at  Macao, 
dated  the  1st  of  April  1810,  gives  the  following 
details  respecting  the  persecutions  which  the 
Christians  then  suffered  in  China. 

Every  European  priest,  whom  they  discover, 
is  arrested  and  put  to  death  on  the  spot:  the 
same  fate  is  reserved  for  the  Chinese  Christian 
priests.  The  other  christians,  when  they  will 
not  apostatize,  suffer  the  most  dreadful  tor- 
ments, and  are  afterwards  banished  to  Tartary. 


OF    MISSIOxVARlES.  181 

In  tills  year,  1819,  there  are  in  the  prisons  of 
the  provinces  of  Sutchuen  alone,  two  hundred 
Christians,  who  wait  the  moment  of  exile:  a 
Chinese  priest  has  been  strangled,  and  two  oth- 
ers are  about  to  die  in  a  similar  manner.  In 
the  whole  empire  there  are  but  ten  missionaries, 
five  of  whom  are  at  Pekin,  who  can  have  no 
connection  with  the  inhabitants  but  in  secret. 
The  Bishop  of  Pekin  has  attempted  in  vain  to 
introduce  himself  into  his  diocese  under  that 
character.  But  the  Catholic  religion  is  still 
said  to  spread  itself,  notwithstanding  all  these 
persecutions. 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  247. 


A   MISSIONARY   SLAIN   IN  THE    EIGHTH    CENTURY. 

Winfrid,  a  native  of  Kirton,  in  Devonshire, 
was  an  eminent  missionary  in  the  eighth  cen- 
tury. He  was  educated  in  the  monastery  of 
Nutcell  and  was  ordained  at  the  age  of  thirty. 
With  an  ardent  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  pa- 
gans he  selected  Friesland  as  the  first  field  of 
his  labors,  in  the  year  716.  Afterwards  he  re- 
moved to  Bavaria  and  Thnringia.  Throughout 
Hesse,  or  a  very  great  part  of  it,  even  to  the 
confines  of  Saxony,  he  erected  the  standard  of 
truth.     Gregorv  II  made  him  bishop  of  the  new 

i6 


182  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 

German  churches,  by  the  name  of  Boniface. 
He  obtained  several  assistants  in  his  mission 
from  England:  he  also  v/rote  home  for  books 
and  by  a  circular  letter  to  the  British  bishops 
and  people  he  entreated  their  prayers  for  the 
success  of  his  missions.  He  continued  full  of 
zeal  to  the  age  of  seventy  five,  when,  going  to 
confirm  some  converts  in  the  plains  of  Dockum, 
he  beheld  not  the  converts  whom  he  expected, 
but  a  troop  of  angry  pagans,  armed  with  shields 
and  lances,  who  attacked  him  furiously  and 
killed  the  whole  company,  fifty  two  in  number, 
besides  Boniface  himself.  His  death  was  re- 
sented by  the  Christian  Germans,  who  raised 
an  army  and  conquered  the  pagans,  and  the 
latter  for  the  sake  of  peace  submitted  to  Chris- 
tian rites. 

Burder's  Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  17]. 


A  CATHOLIC   MISSIONARY  SLAIN  AT   HIS  POST. 

In  the  "Genie  du  Christianisme,"  Chateau- 
briand thus  relates — The  Huron  village,  where 
Father  Daniel  officiated  as  missionary,  was  sur- 
prised by  the  Iraquois  in  the  morning:  the 
young  warriors  were  absent.  He  was  just  at 
that  moment  saying  mass  with  his  converts:  he 
had  only  time  to  run  to  the  place   whence  the 


OF    MISSIONARIES. 


183 


shrinks  proceeded;  where  women  children  and 
old  men  lay  promiscuously  expiring.  All  who 
survived,  fell  at  his  feet,  soliciting  baptism.  The 
father  dipped  a  napkin  in  water  and  with  it 
sprinkled  the  kneeling  crowd.  He  then  recol- 
lected having  left  in  the  huts  some  sick  per- 
sons who  had  not  yet  received  the  seal  of  Chris- 
tianity. He  flew  thither  "administered  the 
rite,"  and  then  went  forth  to  meet  the  enemy, 
who  pierced  him  at  a  distance  with  their  ar- 
rows." 

Carnc's  lives  of  eminent  Missionaries,  vol.  3.  p.  451. 


MARTRYDOM  OF  A  CATHOLIC  MISSIONARY  IN  JAPAN. 

Charles  Spinola,  the  son  of  an  Italian  Count, 
was  a  man  of  powerful  connexions,  by  means  of 
whom  he  could  have  risen  to  an  eminent  station 
in  his  own  country.  Counting  these  advan- 
tages but  loss  for  Christ,  he  repaired  to  Japan 
to  labor  as  a  missionary.  After  he  had  spent 
seven  years  in  this  field  of  service  persecution 
was  commenced  against  converts  to  Christianity. 
He  with  17  other  missionaries  were  burned  at 
the  stake.  Previously  he  had  been  confined 
four  years  in  a  loathsome  dungeon;  from  which 
he  thus  writes,  at  the  close  of  his  confinement. 
"At  last  my  hour    is    come — O    Father!    how 


184 


PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 


sweet  it  is  to  suffer.  I  know  it  better  by  ex- 
perience than  it  can  possibly  be  expressed  by 
words,  O!  what  a  blessing  will  it  be  if  next 
Easter  I  may  be  thought  worthy  to  sing  Halle- 
lujah with  the  saints  in  heaven.  The  joy  of 
my  soul  increases,  to  be  environed  with  flames 
for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ;  I  am  unworthy,  I 
know  of  such  a  favor;  but  God's  mercies  are 
infinite,  and  possibly  he  may  have  pity  on  me. 
Amongst  my  other  distempers  in  prison,  I  had 
a  fever  that  continued  for  a  hundred  days,  and 
had  no  manner  of  relief  all  that  while:  at  the 
same  time  my  heart  was  so  transported  with 
joy,  that  I  could  not  but  think  myself  at  the 
entrance  of  paradise.  I  do  not  remember  to 
have  felt  the  like  through  the  whole  course  of 
my  life." 

(Signed,) 

"Charles  condemned  to  die  for  his 
Redeemer." 

Game's  lives  of  eminent  missionaries,  vol.  3,  p.  341. 


A   MISSION   FAMILY   BURNED   ALIVE, 

On  the  24th  of  November  1755,  the  Mora- 
vian Mission  at  Gnadenhuetten,  not  far  from 
Bethlehem,  in  N.  America  was  broken  up  by  a 
most  destructive  assault  from  Indians  under 
French  influence. 


OP    MISSIONARIES.  185 

While  the  mission  family  were  at  supper  an 
uncommon  barking  of  dogs  was  heard.  Pres- 
ently a  gun  was  fired.  Upon  this,  several  ran 
to  the  door,  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  the  dis- 
turbance. As  soon  as  the  door  was  opened, 
the  Indians  fired  upon  the  unsuspecting  mis- 
sionaries. Martin  Nitschman  was  instantly 
killed.  His  wife  and  some  others  were  wound- 
ed, but  fled  with  the  rest  up  stairs  into  the  gar- 
ret and  barricadoed  the  door  with  bedsteads. 
One  of  the  missionaries  escaped  by  a  back-win- 
dow, another  by  a  rear  door.  The  savages  pur- 
sued those  who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  garret, 
and  strove  hard  to  force  the  door.  Finding  it 
too  well  secured  to  be  thus  opened,  they  set  fire 
to  the  house.  The  building  was  soon  in  flames. 
A  boy  and  the  wife  of  the  missionary  v/ho  had 
escaped  by  the  window,  leaped  from  the  roof, 
and  escaped  unhurt  and  without  observation. 
Mr.  Fabricuis,  leaped  also  from  the  roof,  but 
before  he  could  escape,  he  was  perceived  and 
murdered.  The  rest,  eleven  in  number  were 
burnt  alive  in  the  house.  Mrs.  Senseman  was 
seen  by  her  unhappy  husband,  who  had  escaped, 
standing  with  folded  hands,  surrounded  by  the 
flames:  and  she  was  heard  to  say,  "'Tis  all 
well,  dear  Savior." 

Loskiel'a  hist'y  ol" missions  among  N.  Am.,  Indians,  part  ii,  p.  1C6. 

*16 


186  PRIVATIONS    AND    PERILS 


SHIPWRECK  OF  A  J^JUMEROUS   MISSION  FAMILY,   AND 
LOSS   OF  LIVES. 

In  182G,  the  Methodist  missionaries  stationed 
at  Antigua,  sailed  with  their  families,  on  their 
return  from  a  yearly  general  meeting  at  St 
Kitts.  The  party  consisted  of  Rev.  Mr.  White, 
wife,  three  children  and  servants,  Kev.  Mr. 
Hilliar,  Rev.  Mr.  Oake,  Rev.   Mr,   Jones,  wife 

and  infant  child,  Mr. ,  another  missionary 

from  St.  Kitts,  and  his  wife.  A  few  days  after- 
wards it  was  reported  at  Antigua,  that  part  of  a 
wreck  was  seen  on  Weymouth  shoal,  with  two 
persons  on  it.  The  wreck  proved  to  be  that  of 
the  mail  boat,  in  which  the  missionaries  had 
sailed.  The  body  of  the  Captain  was  lying 
near  the  wreck.  The  only  survivor  of  21  souls 
was  Mrs.  Jones,  and  she  was  found,  in  a  state 
of  insensibility,  between  the  bowsprit  bitts, 
where  she  had  been  placed  by  the  Captain,  to 
secure  her  from  being  washed  away.  On  her 
recovery  she  stated,  that  the  vessel  struck  on 
the  reef  in  the  night,  that  three  or  four  days 
had  elapsed  since  that  event,  that  Mr.  White, 
his  wife,  three  children  and  servant  were  all 
swept  away  together,  clinging  to  each  other, 
that  Mr.  Hilliar  attempted  to  swim  to  Sandy 
island  and  was  drowned  in  her  sight,  that  her 


OF    MISSIONARIES.  187 

infant  was  washed  away  from  her  arms,  that  her 
husband  died  on  her  lap  the  night  before  she 
was  taken  off,  and  was  washed  away. 

As  returning  recollections  unfolded  the  hor- 
rors of  the  scene  she  had  witnessed,  the  un- 
happy woman  frequently  exclaimed,  **0  captain 
Whitney,  why  did  he  save  me!" 

Alissioiiary  Herald,  182C.  p.  159. 


CHAPTER   TV. 


HTNDERANCES    TO     THE    SUCCESS     Of 
MISSIONS. 


"Ye  who  forf5aking  all, 
At  your  lov'd  Master's  call, 

Comforts  resign; 
Soon  will  your  work  be  done; 
Soon  will  the  prize  be  won; 
Brighter  than  yonder  sun, 

Then  shall  ye  shine." 


SECTION    I  . 

The  example  and  influence  of  nominal  Chris- 
tians, 


REMARKS   OF  A  HINDOO   DANCING  GIRL. 

Swartz,  one  day  met  a  Hindoo  dancing-mas- 
ter, with  his  female  pupil,  and  told  them  that 
no  unholy  persons  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  "Alas,  Sir,"  said  the  poor  girl,  "in 
that  case  hardly  any  Europeans  will  ever  enter 
it,"  and  passed  on. 

Pearson's  life  of  Swartz,  Christian  Library,  p.  2^. 


HINDERANCES    TO    THE    SUCCESS    &C.       189 


KEMARK  OF  A  HfNDOO  MERCHANT. 

A  wealthy  Hindoo  merchant,  who  under- 
stood Danisli,  English  and  French,  said  to 
Swartz,  "Sir,  be  not  displeased,  I  wish  to  ask 
you  a  question,  Do  all  Europeans  speak  like 
you?"  Swartz  replied,  that  all  Europeans  were 
not  true  Christians;  but  that  there  were  many 
who  were  really  so,  and  who  sincerely  prayed 
for  the  Hindoos  that  they  might  become  ac- 
quainted with  Jesus  Christ.  "You  astonish 
me,"  said  he,  "for  from  what  we  daily  observe 
and  experience,  we  cannot  but  think  Europe- 
ans, with  but  few  exceptions,  to  be  self  interest- 
ed, incontinent,  proud,  full  of  illiberal  contempt 
and  prejudice  against  us  Hindoos  and  even 
against  their  own  religion,  especially  the  higher 
classes.  So  at  least  I  have  found  it  with  the 
majority  of  those  with  whom  I  have  had  any  in- 
tercourse." 

Life  of  Swartz,  Christian  Library,  p.  22. 


REMARK  OF  A  NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIAN. 

The  missionary  David  Brainerd,  in  a  tour 
among  the  Indians  of  North  America,  visited  a 
place,  then  called  Minnissinks.  Here  he  of- 
fered to  instruct  the   people   in   the   truths  of 


190  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

Christianity.  The  king,  to  whom  he  addressed 
himself  for  leave,  laughed,  and  turning  upon 
his  heel,  went  away.  Mr.  Brainerd  followed 
him  into  his  house,  and  renewed  his  request; 
but  he  referred  the  business  to  another,  who 
appeared  to  be  a  man  of  good  natural  parts. 
"Why,"  said  he,  "should  you  desire  the  In- 
dians to  become  Christians,  seeing  the  Chris- 
tians are  so  much  worse  than  the  Indians.  The 
Christians  lie,  steal,  and  drink  worse  than  the 
Indians.  They  first  taught  the  Indians  to  be 
drunk.  They  steal  to  that  degree,  that  their 
rulers  are  obliged  to  hang  them  for  it;  and  that 
is  not  enough  to  deter  others  from  the  practice. 
But  none  of  the  Indians  were  ever  hanged  for 
stealing,  and  yet  they  do  not  steal  half  so  much; 
we  will  not  consent,  therefore,  to  become  Chris- 
tians, lest  we  should  be  as  bad  as  they.  We 
will  live  as  our  fathers  lived,  and  go  where  our 
father  are,  when  we  die." 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  193. 


INTELLIGENT    CHINESE    OBJECT     TO     EUROPEAN 
IDOLATRY. 

The  m.ore  intelligent  Chinese  object  to  many 
parts  of  the  Catholic  system,  particularly  to 
what  they  call  preaching  down   Chinese  idola- 


SUCCESS    OP   MISSIONS. 


191 


try,  and  preaching  up  European  idolatry,  for 
they  say,  they  have  more  reason  to  worship 
their  own  saints,  than  those  of  Europe,  of  whom 
they  know  nothing;  they  are  willing  to  lay 
aside  the  worship  of  images  wholly,  but  will  not 
exchange  them  for  those  of  Europe. 

They   are  also  offended   at   the  indulgences 
sold  for  money  for  this  they  say  is  priestcraft. 

■*'!  knew  a  merchant  (says  a  gentleman  who  re- 
sided among  them)  who  threw  off  his  (Catholic) 
religion  in  consequence  of  being  denied  to  eat 
pork  in  Lent,  without  paying  the  church,  which 
he  was  not  then  disposed  to  do;  and  without  it 
he  understood  he  was  to  be  damned,  which 
startled  him;  upon  this,  he  inquired,  why  he 
might  not  as  well  eat  the  flesh  as  fish  fried  in 
pork  fat,  which  all  the  Christians  in  Macao 
were  allowed  to  do?  He  therefore  told  the  Pa- 
dre, that  if  his  salvation  depended  on  so  nice  a 
point  as  the  difference  between  fat  and  lean, 
he  should  no  longer  be  of  that  religion,  and  so 
returned  to  paganism.  lie  often  asked  why  the 
English  did  not  send  Padres,  who  worshipped 
no  images  and  teach  their  religion,  for  it  would 
be  better  approved." 

Acrount  of  the  Danish  Mission,  1718,  part  ii,  p,  51.  quoted  in  Bur- 
der's  Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  247. 


192  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 


STRONG  PREJUDICES    OF  A    SIBERIAN. 

Mr.  Swan,  missionary  in  Siberia,  was  re- 
quested by  a  Buriat  merchant  to  give  him  a 
book  that  would  relieve  him  of  the  burthen  of 
his  sins.  He  had  purchased  books  for  that  pur- 
pose, but  in  vain.  Mr.  Swan  gave  him  a  reli- 
gious tract.  But  no  sooner  did  he  open  the 
tract  and  read  the  name  *'Jesus  Christ,"  than 
he  exclaimed  with  a  look  of  disdain.  "Ah,  this 
is  the  God  of  the  Russians,  you  would  make  us 
Christians,  but  we  are  better  as  we  are." 

Missionary  Chronicle,  vol.  2,  p.  457. 


CHRISTIANITY  SHUT   OUT  FROM  A    PAGAN  VILLAGE, 

BY    AN     EUROPEAN     RESIDENT. 

"The  whole  population  of  a  small  village  in 
Java,  wishing  to  become  Christians,  and  to  be 
instructed  in  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  requested 
the  Resident  at  Sourabaya  to  send  them  a 
teacher  with  Bibles,  which  he  refused,  declar- 
ing that  he  would  not  allow  them  to  become 
Christians  as  they  were  quite  happy  enough 
without  Christianity." 

In  the  same  place  Christian  tracts  were  con- 
fiscated, and  funds  of  the  Dutch  Bible  Society 
were  applied    occasionally  to   purposes  merely 

literacy.  Abeel's  Residence  in  China,  p.  19L 


SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS. 


SECTION 


193 


Apathy   and  groundless  fears  of  the  friends  of 
Christ. 


REPROOF  OF  A  NAIR. 

Several  years  ago  a  Nair,  in  India,  upon 
hearing  a  European  read  some  chapters  of  the 
Gospels,  which  he  highly  approved,  eagerly  in- 
quired, "Are  these  really  your  Shasters?"  Being 
assured  that  they  were,  he  added, ''Why  did  you 
not  let  us  have  theui  long  ago?  you  always  had 
access  to  our  Shasters,  why  then  did  you  keep 
back  yours." 

Evangelical  Mag.  vol.  20,  p.  473,  (juoteJ  by  Burder,  Miss.  Anec- 
dotes, p.  239. 


THE  FEARS   OF  AN  ECCLESIASTICAL  BODY  IN 
ENGLAND. 

"It  was  represented  in  an  Ecclesiastical  As- 
sembly, that  to  spread  abroad  the  knowledge  of 
the  Gospel  among  barbarous  nations  seems 
highly  preposterous,  in  as  far  as  it  anticipates, 
nay,,  even  reverses  the  order  of  nature.  Men 
must  be  polished  and  refined  in  their  manners 
17 


194  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

before  they  can  be  properly  enlightened  in  reli- 
gious truths.  Philosophy  and  learning  must,  in 
the  nature  of  things,  take  the  precedence.  In- 
deed it  would  seem  hardly  less  absurd,  to  make 
revelation  precede  civilization  in  the  order  of 
time,  than  to  pretend  to  unfold  to  a  child  the 
principia  of  Newton  ere  he  is  made  acquaint- 
ed with  the  letters  of  the  Alphabet."  Such 
views  were  advanced  near  the  beoinning  of 
the  present  century,  in  Great  Britian,  we 
are  informed  by  the  Rev.  H.  F.  Burder,  in  his 
sermon  before  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
Agreeably  to  these  views  the  apostles  were  ab- 
surdly wrong  in  preaching  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature,  whether  previously  civilized  and  in- 
doctrinated or  not. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  LONDOx^   MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

The  parlor  of  the  Tabernacle  House  in  Bris- 
tol, is  called,  "the  cradle  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety." The  reason  for  this  appellation  is,  that 
in  that  room,  during  a  visit  of  the  Rev.  Da- 
vid Bogue,  of  Gosport,  to  Bristol,  the  plan  of 
uniting  different  bodies  of  Christians  in  the 
Missionary  enterprise  was  proposed  and  deter- 
mined upon*.      It  is  said,  that  the  suggestion 

♦Smith  and  Choules'  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  227. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


195 


may  be  traced  back  to  one  individual,  the 
Countess  of  Huntington.  To  this  pious  lady 
has  been  awarded  the  honor  of  having  origina- 
ted the  London  Missionary  Society,  by  being 
the  first  to  suggest  such  an  association,  with 
special  reference  to  the  wants  of  the  then  newly 
discovered  islands  of  the  South  Seas. 

But  to  trace  bacic  the  history  no  farther  than 
to  its  visible  and  proximate  cause,  we  may 
say  that  "this  Society  commenced  in  a  spirited 
address,  from  the  pen  of  the  venerable  David 
Bogue,  to  evangelical  Dissenters,  of  all  denomi- 
nations, holding  infant  baptism.  This  was  a 
spirited  address.  Its  spirit  was  felt  to  the  re- 
motest boundaries  of  the  British  Empire;  and 
on  the  21st  of  Sept.  1795,  a  vast  assembly  of 
Ministers  of  different  denominations,  including 
many  of  the  Established  Church,  together  with 
numerous  lay  gentlemen  of  various  ranks  in 
society,  was  brought  together  in  the  metropolis. 
The  whole  week  was  devoted  to  this  single 
object;  the  Society  was  organized,  its  officers 
appointed,  its  funds  established;  six  sermons  in 
three  successive  days  were  delivered  to  the 
most  crowded  audiences  London  ever  witnes- 
sed. It  was  impossible  for  the  preachers  fully 
to  prepare  their  sermons  in  their  retirement. 
The  public  scene  was  new,  and  its   influence 


196  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

and  effect  new;  every  discourse  however  ar- 
ranged and  precomposed  in  the  study,  became 
almost  another  thing  in  the  church,  and  receiv- 
ed from  the  holy  influence  upon  the  day  of  de- 
livery a  tone  and  material  not  to  be  acquired  in 
the  secret  confines  of  the  closet.  One  of  the 
preachers  (Mr.  Bogue)  says,  on  the  occasion: — 
'When  we  left  our  homes,  we  expected  to  see  a 
day  of  small  things,  which  it  was  our  design 
not  to  despise,  but  to  cherish  with  fond  solici- 
tude. But,  God  has,  beyond  measure,  exceed- 
ed our  expectations.  He  has  made  a  little  one 
a  thousand,  and  has  inspired  us  with  the  most 
exalted  hopes.  Now  we  do  not  think  ourselves 
mistaken,  when  we  say  that  we  shall  account  it 
through  eternity  a  distinguished  favor,  and  the 
highest  honor  conferred  on  us  during  our  pil- 
grimage on  earth,  that  we  appeared  here  and 
gave  in  our  names  among  the  founders  of  the 
Missionary  Society;  and  the  time  will  ever  be 
remembered  by  us,  and  may  it  be  celebrated 
by  future  ages  as  the  era  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence.' " 

Why  might  not  this  mighty  engine  of  mission- 
ary benevolence  have  commenced  its  work  a 
century  sooner?  Only  because  the  unwarranta- 
ble fears  and  the  apathy  of  Christians  would  not 
permit.     Could  not  another  meeting  of  Clergy- 


SUCCESS    OP   MISSIONS.  197 

men  at  Bristol  have  originated,  a  century  soon- 
er, the  resolution  to  unite  in  efforts  to  give  the 
Gospel  to  the  destitute?  Could  not  some  other 
Countess  have  suggested  the  scheme,  and  some 
other  Bogue  have  written  the  address,  that  was 
to  prove  the  origin  of  an  extensive  and  eminent- 
ly useful  Missionary  Board,  long  before  the 
actual  origin  of  the  London  Society? 

Rer.  Mr.  Sabine's  Sermon  at  an  annual  meeting  of  Am.  Board.  C. 
F.  M.  1823. 


COMME.\CEME\T     OF     THE     ENGLISH    BAPTIST    MIS- 
SIONARY    SOCIETY. 

In  1786,  Mr.  Carey  proposed  the  question  at 
a  meeting  of  Ministers  at  North-Hampton,  Eng- 
land, whether  the  command  given  to  the  apos- 
tles to  teach  all  nations  was  not  obligatory  on 
all  succeeding  ministers  to  the  end  of  the  world? 
One  of  the  company  replied,  that  nothing  could 
be  done  before  aucther  Pentecost,  when  an  effu- 
sion of  miraculous  gifts,  including  the  gift  of 
tongues  would  give  effect  to  the  commission  of 
Christ  as  at  first;  and  that  he  was  a  most  miser- 
ble  enthusiast  for  asking  such  a  question!  (Ful- 
ler's life  jp.  85.  j  Dr.  Carey  persevered  in  his 
inquiries,  undismayed  by  this  rebuff.  He  re- 
solved to  spend  his  life  in  India;  and  before  he 
♦17 


198  HINDERANCES   TO    THE 

died,  the  little  church,  which  he  at  first  plant- 
ed in  that  land  had  branched  out  into  twenty  six 
mission  churches,  embracing  several  thousand 
worshippers.  Instead  of  waiting  for  the  gift  of 
tongues,  he  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
Oriental  languages,  and,  chiefly  through  his 
exertions,  translations  of  the  entire  Scriptures 
have  been  made  in  six  tongues,  and  of  the  New 
Testament,  in  twenty  three  more.  Could  not 
these  churches  have  been  gathered  from  among 
the  heathen,  and  these  translations  made,  cen- 
turies sooner,  but  for  the  unwarrantable  fears 
of  the  friends  of  Christ? 

Some  of  our  ministers,  said  Mr.  Fuller,  con- 
sidered the  plan  of  a  mission  to  India  like  a 
proposal  to  make  a  turnpike  to  the  moon!    (life 

p.  179.; 

Beginning  its  operations  thus,  under  the 
gloomiest  discouragements,  with  a  contribution 
of<£13.  2,  6,  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society 
has  advanced  with  a  zeal  and  energy  that  have 
been  blessed  to  the  successful  prosecution  of 
missions  among  the  heathen.  It  has  thus  been 
shewn  that  nothing  but  the  fears  and  apathy  of 
Christians  prevent  the  universal  spread  of  the 
Gospel. 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


id9 


EARLY     EFFORTS     OF     THE     AMERICAN     BOARD     OF 
COMMISSIONERS    FOR  FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

A  few  Students   at  William's  College  project- 
ed the   plan  of  sending  missionaries   from  this 
country    to   the    heathen    world.      They   were 
ashamed  to  speak  of  their   favorite  plan  at  first, 
because  they  had  reason   to  expect  that  their 
views   would   meet    with    a   chilling   reception 
from    christians    at    large.       At    length,    after 
years  of  thought   and  toil  and  prayer,  a  Society 
is  formed.     Five  missionaries  stand  ready  to  go 
to  the  heathen.     How  are  they  to  be  sustained? 
is  a  question   that  ctilLs  forth  no  ordinary  solici- 
tude.    To  attempt  to  raise   from  the  American 
churches    funds    sufficient    for   this  purpose,   is 
deemed  useless.     Aid  is  actually  solicited  from 
the  English  churches,  lest   the  gigantic  enter- 
prise should  crush   our  Zion.     It  was  not  until 
unforeseen  difficulties  prevented  the  attainment 
of  aid  from  England,  that  an  effort  was  made  to 
secure   from   our  own    churches    the   requisite 
funds.     The  ordained  missionaries  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board  are   now  more  than  one  hundred. 
Twenty  seven  years  ago  it  was  deemed  imprac- 
ticable to  send  abroad  five:      now   more  than 
twenty  times  the  number  are  sustained  cheer- 
fully by  the  patrons  of  this  Board  alone. 


200  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

What  but  the  needless  fears  of  the  friends  of 
Christ  has  delayed  till  the  present  age  the  vigor- 
ous prosecution  of  the  missionary  enterprise  by 
the  churches  of  America. 


THE    FORMER    APATHY    OF     CHRISTIANS    REPROVED 
BY    CONVERTED    HOTTENTOTS. 

In  the  year  1803,  three  converted  Hottentots, 
a  man  and  two  women,  visited  England  in  com- 
pany v/ith  their  minister,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kicher- 
er.  They  were  publicly  interrogated  at  relig- 
ious meetings,  and  their  statements  were  highly 
satisfactory. 

The  following  reply  was  made  by  one  of  the 
number  in  broken  English — 

"What  pity  'tis,  what  sin  'tis,  that  you  have 
so  many  years  got  that  heavenly  bread  and  hold 
it  for  yourselves,  not  to  give  one  little  bit,  one 
crumb  to  poor  heathen.  There  are  so  many 
millions  of  heathen,  and  you  have  so  much 
bread;  and  you  could  depend  upon  it,  you 
should  not  have  less  because  you  gave,  but  the 
Lord  Jesus  would  give  you  his  blessing  and  you 
should  have  the  more.  You  may  not  think  that 
when  you  do  something  for  poor  heathen,  you 
shall   have  less   for  yourselves:    that  contrary, 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS. 


201 


Lord  Jesus  fountain  always  full;  thousand  after 
tliousand  could  be  helped:  he  always  the  same, 
yesterday  to  day  and  forever.  The  more  we  do 
for  others,  the  more  we  shall  be  blessed,  the 
more  we  shall  have  for  our  own  souls."  "As 
Lord  Jesus  so  good,  wear  crown  of  prickles  for 
us,  for  our  sins,  let  us  work  more  and  more  in 
dust  at  his  feet,  to  put  on  his  head  crown  of 
glory."  "I  thank  English  nation  that  sent 
missionary  to  us;  but  pray  that  they  may  not 
neglect,  but  go  on;  because  Lord  open  door  and 
so  many  thousands  know  not  the  Lord  Jesus. 
We  pray  for  them,  and  do  all  we  can  to  help 
missionary  society,  and  we  shall  see  the  Lord 
will  bless  it.  I  go  to  far  land  and  shall  never 
see  this  people  no  more  in  this  world;  so,  peo- 
ple of  God,  farewell.  I  shall  meet  you  again 
before  the  throne  of  glory.  And  people  that 
know  not  God  I  beg  them  to  come  to  Jesus, 
then  we  shall  meet  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
Last  thing  I  say — O  pray  for  poor  heathen." 

The  reply  of  another  to  the  question.  "Have 
you  any  thing  to  say  to  the  unconverted  people 
in  this  congregation?"  was  interpreted  thus. 

"Yes,  I  would  wish  them  to  run  to  Jesus  im- 
mediately. O!  it  would  be  a  pity  if  they  who 
hear  every  day  of  Christ  should  neglect  him, 
and  if  they   should   see  us  poor  heathen,  who 


202  HINDEHANCES   TO    THE 

have  run  to  Christ,  admitted  into  heaven  and 
they  themselves  thrust  down  into  hell,  Oh,  it 
would  be  a  sad  pity." 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  pp.  278,  and  288. 


SE  CTI  O  N    III  . 

Prejudices  and  opposition  encountered  hy  Con- 
verts. 


PREJUDICES   OF  THE    SOUTH  SEA    ISLANDERS. 

The  earliest  missionaries  to  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  found  their  efforts  to  impress  the  minds 
of  the  natives,  for  a  long  time,  unavailing. 

Mr.  Turnbull,  who  circumnavigated  the 
globe  at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  and  who 
expressed  high  commendation  of  the  missiona- 
ries at  these  islands,  relates  an  occurrence  that 
shews  some  of  the  discouragements  by  which 
their  faith  was  tried.  Some  of  them  had  re- 
quested leave  to  preach  before  Otoo,  the  king, 
and  his  followers;  the  request  was  granted. 
The  king  sent  for  Mr.  T.  who  arrived  while 
the  religious  exercises  were  held.  **He  asked 
me,"  said  Mr.  T.  "upon  the  departure  of  the 
missionaries,  whether   it   was  all   true,  which 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  203 

they  had  preaclied.  I  replied  in  the  affirma- 
tive: it  was  strictly  so  according  to  my  own 
belief,  and  that  of  all  the  wiser  and  better  part 
of  my  countrymen.  He  demanded  of  me  where 
Jehovah  lived?  I  pointed  to  the  heavens.  He 
said  he  did  not  believe  it.  His  brother  was,  if 
possible,  still  worse.  Edeah,  the  queen  was 
looking  on,  with  a  kind  of  haughty  and  dis- 
dainful indifference.  'It  was  all  liavery  or 
falsehood,'  they  would  not  believe  unless  they 
could  see;  they  said  that  we  could  bring  down 
the  sun  or  moon  by  means  of  our  quadrant,  and 
why  could  we  not  bring  down  our  Savior  by 
similar  means?" 

Bunler's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  256. 


A     CONVERT    PAGAN    OFFERED     UP  AS   A    HUMAN 
SACRIFICE. 

Before  the  final  establishment  of  Christianity 
at  Tahiti,  a  fine  intelligent  young  man,  became 
a  worshipper  of  the  true  God.  Ridicule  and 
afterwards  flattery  were  employed  by  his  family 
to  draw  him  back  to  idolatry,  but  in  vain. 
Threats  of  unrelenting  vengeance  were  at  last 
denounced  against  him,  and  he  was  driven 
from  his  father's  house.     A  heathen  ceremony 


204 


HINDERANCES    TO    THE 


was  at  hand,  for  which  a  human  victim  was  re- 
quired, and  this  young  man  was  marked  out 
for  the  victim.  On  the  evening  of  the  day  pre- 
ceding that  on  which  the  ceremony  was  to 
take  place,  he  had  retired  to  the  brow  of  a  hill 
that  overlooked  the  valley  where  he  dwelt; 
there,  seated  beneath  the  embowering  shade  of 
a  clump  of  trees,  he  was  absorbed  in  medita- 
tion previous  to  his  evening  prayer.  While 
thus  engaged,  his  seclusion  was  invaded  by  his 
persecutors.  A  number  of  the  servants  of  the 
priests  and  chiefs  came  to  him  and  said,  that 
the  king  had  arrived,  and  had  sent  them  to  in- 
vite him  down.  He  knew  that  the  intended 
ceremony  was  at  hand,  that  a  human  sacrifice 
was  then  to  be  offered,  and  he  suspected  in- 
stantly the  purpose  for  which  he  was  now  visit- 
ed. He  charged  his  visitors  with  the  intention 
of  deceiving  him,  and  added,  "I  know  a  cere- 
mony approaches,  that  a  human  victim  is  then 
to  be  offered,  something  within  tells  me  /  am 
to  he  that  victim,  and  your  appearance  and 
your  message  confirm  my  conviction.  Jesus 
Christ  is  my  keeper,  without  his  permission  you 
cannot  harm  me,  you  may  be  permitted  to  kill 
my  body,  but  I  am  not  afraid  to  die!  My  soul 
you  cannot  hurt,  that  is  safe  in  the  hands  of 
Jesus  Christ."     Perceiving  there  was  but  little 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  205 

prospect  of  inducing  him  to  accompany  them 
towards  the  beach,  and,  irritated  possibly  by 
his  heroic  reply,  they  rushed  upon  him,  wound- 
ed and  murdered  him;  and  then  bore  his  body 
to  the  temple,  where  it  was  offered  in  sacrifice 
to  their  god. 

Ellis's  Polynesian  Researches,  vol.  1,  p.  ^6.     Lond. 


CONSPIRACY   TO  MASSACRE    THE    PRAYING    PEOPLE 
OF   TAHITI. 

Some  of  the  chiefs  in  Otaheite,  or  Tahiti, 
observing  the  rapid  increase  of  the  "Bure 
Atua,"  or  * 'praying  people,"  and  conceiving, 
from  the  present  of  a  book  made  by  the  king  to 
his  daughter,  that  he  intended  to  educate  her 
as  a  Christian,  and  that  probably,  in  process  of 
time  idolatry  would  be  utterly  overthrown, 
formed  a  resolution,  by  one  sudden  blow,  to 
destroy  the  rising  sect.  To  effect  this,  several 
of  the  chiefs,  who  had  been  previously  rivals 
and  enemies  to  each  other,  concurred  in  a  plan 
to  fall  upon  the  new  converts  in  the  night  of 
July  7,  1815,  and  to  exterminate  them  altogeth- 
er. But  some  of  the  parties  having  been  rather 
dilatory,  and  secret  information  having  been 
happily  given  to  the  people,  whose  ruin  was  in- 
tended, they  were  enabled  to  launch  their  ca- 
18 


206  HINDERANCES   TO   THE 

noes  and  sail   for  Eimeo,  where  they  safely  ar- 
rived the  next  morning. 

The  disappointed  chiefs,  began  to  reproach 
each  other,  and,  calling  to  mind  their  ancient 
animosities,  fell  upon  one  another.  Many, 
especially  of  those  who  first  concerted  the  mis- 
chief, were  killed,  and  a  large  portion  of  their 
country  was  laid  waste.  The  question  of  reli- 
gion was  lost  sight  of:  the  party  feuds  of  former 
times  were  revived.  The  king,  who  was  then 
at  that  island,  sent  repeated  messages  of  a 
pacific  nature  to  the  conquering  party,  who  as- 
sured him  that  they  had  no  quarrel  with  him, 
but  that  they  had  not  yet  settled  their  old  differ- 
ences. 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  258. 


AN   ASSEMBLY  OF  WORSHIPPING  CONVERTS  ATTACK- 
ED  BY  ARMED  PAGANS. 

The  12th  of  November,  1815,  was  an  event- 
ful day  in  the  religious  history  of  Tahiti.  It 
was  the  Sabbath.  Pomare  and  the  converts  to 
Christianity,  in  number  about  800  were  assem- 
bled for  public  worship,  near  the  village  of  Bu- 
naauia.  At  distant  points  of  the  district  pi- 
quets had  been  stationed  to  prevent  a  surprisal. 
When  divine  service  commenced,  a  firing  of 


SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS.  207 

muskets  was  heard;  soon  a  large  body  of  armed 
men  were  seen  advancing  from  a  distant  point 
towards  the  place  of  worship,  bearing  with  them 
the  flag  of  the  gods  and  the  various  emblems  of 
idolatry.  The  congregation  was  thrown  into  con- 
fusion. "It  is  war!"  "It  is  war!"  was  the  cry  on 
every  side.  Those  who  had  weapons  prepared 
for  battle,  others  were  on  the  point  of  dispers- 
ing to  obtain  arms.  Pomare,  in  the  midst  of 
the  confusion,  arose  and  requested  all  to  remain 
quietly  in  their  places,  he  stated  that  they  were 
under  the  special  protection  of  Jehovah,  that 
divine  worship  should  not  be  forsaken  even  at 
the  approach  of  an  enemy.  A  hymn  was  sung, 
a  portion  of  scripture  was  read,  and  a  prayer 
offered  to  the  Almighty.  Then  the  assembly 
made  the  necessary  preparations  for  their  own 
defence.  The  onset  of  the  pagans  was  im- 
petuous and  almost  irresistible.  For  a  long 
time  the  result  was  doubtful.  When  at  length 
it  seemed  as  if  the  Christian  party  would  be 
overpowered,  the  leader  of  the  idolatrous  forces 
received  a  mortal  wound,  and  fell.  This  disas- 
ter weakened  the  confidence  of  the  assailants, 
they  became  irresolute,  their  ranks  were  brok- 
en, and  finally,  after  a  long  struggle,  they  fled 
in  terror  from  the  field. 


208  HINDERANCES   TO    THE 

Thus  were  the  first  Christians  saved  from  the 
very  jaws  of  destruction. 

Pomare  was  so  prudent  and  moderate  in  the 
use  of  his  triumph,  as  to  permit  no  plunder  or 
ill  treatment  of  the  captives.  Such  unexampled 
moderation,  as  it  seemed  to  them,  produced  on 
the  minds  of  the  pagans  the   happiest  effects. 

They  declared  that  they  had  been  deceived 
by  their  gods,  and  that  they  would  no  longer 
trust  them;  that  they  would  ca?t  them  away 
entirely,  and  embrace  the  new  religion,  so  dis- 
tinguished by  its  benevolence,  mildness  and 
clemency. 

Ellis's,  Polynesian  Researches,  vol.  1.  p.  249. 


OPPOSITION  TO   MISSIONARIES  IN   PALESTINE. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Goodell,  in  1S26,  while  the 
Greeks  were  in  arms  against  Turkey,  writes 
thus  from  Beyroot, 

A  deep  plot  was  laid  to  drive  us  all  from  Bey- 
root. The  Maronitc  Bishop  had  arrived,  and  had 
prepared  an  excommunication  for  every  Maro- 
nite,  who  should  hereafter  permit  his  house  to 
be  hired  by  us;  and  he  was  endeavoring,  by 
bribery  and  intrigue,  to  bring  the  Greek  Bishop 
and  the  Mahommedan  rulers  to  act  in  concert 
with  him,  and  thus  force  us  to  retire  from  the 


SUCCESS    OF   MISSIONS  209 

field,  or  to  stand  out  in  the  rain  with  our  wives 
and  little  ones.  But  God,  in  his  holy  provi- 
dence, sent  the  Greeks  here,  at  that  very  mo- 
ment: the  Bishop  had  to  flee  in  the  night,  and 
has  not  since  dared  to  return:  and  the  very  best 
houses  of  the  Maronites  fell  into  our  hands,  by 
the  earnest  request  of  the  owners. 

Moreover,  just  as  the  Armenian  Patriarch  at 
Constantinople  was  ready  to  sally  forth  with  a 
firman  from  the  Grand  Siguier  against  Jacob 
Aga,  and  also  as  it  seems  probable,  against  the 
men  in  my  service,  God  let  the  Janizaries  loose 
upon  their  capital,  and  permitted  the  fires  which 
they  kindled  to  rage  with  greater  fury  in  the 
Armenian,  than  in  any  other  quarter  of  the  city; 
and  to  burn  to  ashes,  among  many  thousand 
buildings,  the  palace  and  the  most  splendid 
church  of  the  Armenian  Patriarch;  and  thus  to 
furnish  him  with  sufficient  employment  for  the 
present,  without  meddling  with  the  reformation 
in  these  parts. 

Missionary  Herald,  1827,  p.  178. 


PAPAL  OPPOSITION  TO   MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

The  Patriarch  of  the  Maronites,  havinof  been 
warned*  by  a  communication  from  Rome  to  re- 

*See  JNJissionary  Herald,  1825,  p.  109. 

ns 


X 


210  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

sist  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the 
labors  of  Protestant  missionaries  within  his  ju- 
risdiction, published  a  severe  edict,  which  con- 
cludes thus. 

"And  with  regard  to  Bird  (American  Mis- 
sionary) and  all  his  children,  and  all  his  family, 
we  in  like  manner  grant  no  permission  to  any 
one  to  receive  them:  but,  on  the  contrary,  we, 
by  the  word  of  the  Lord  of  almighty  authority, 
require  and  command  all  in  the  firmest  manner, 
that  not  one  visit  them,  nor  do  them  any  sort  of 
service,  or  furnish  them  any  sort  of  assistance 
whatever,  to  protract  their  stay  in  these  parts  or 
any  other.  Let  no  one  receive  them  into  his 
house,  or  into  any  place  whatever  that  belongs 
to  him;  but  let  all  avoid  them,  in  every  way,  in 
all  things  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual.  And 
whoever,  in  his  stubbornness,  shall  dare  to  act 
in  opposition  to  this  our  order  with  regard  to 
Bird,  and  his  children,  and  his  whole  family, 
shall  fall,  ipso  facto,  under  the  great  excommu- 
nication, whose  absolution  is  reserved  to  our- 
self  alone,  in  the  same  manner  as  has  happened 
to  the  miserable  Latoof  El  Ashi  and  his  sons, 
from  which  may  the  Lord  preserve  you  ail,  and 
the  blessing  be  upon  the  obedient. 

The  ignoble  Joseph  Peter, 

Patriarch  of  Antioch  and  all  the  East. 

Aug.  4,  1827.  Missionary  Herald,  1828,  p.  308. 


SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS.  211 


OBST-ACLES    TO    THE    ELEVATION    OF    THE  FEMALE 
SEX  IN  INDIA. 

Said  Mr.  Osborn  of  the  Wesleyan  Mission  in 
Ceylon, 

Soon  after  my  arrival  at  Point  de  Galle,  I 
went  to  the  house  of  an  English  gentleman:  and 
on  entering  the  verandnh,  I  saw  a  bravvny  man 
sitting  on  a  mat,  making  ladies  muslin  dresses, 
I  could  not  forbear  expressing  my  astonishment 
at  seeing  a  hand,  formed  for  hard  labor,  em- 
ployed in  adjusting  the  trimmings  of  a  lady's 
dress,  while  I  had  passed  several  delicate  fe- 
males in  the  streets  who  were  engaged  in  a 
drudgery  better  suited  to  the  athletic  mantua- 
maker  in  the  verandah,  than  to  them.  I  have 
also  frequently  been  grieved  by  seeing  poor 
slender  females  bending  beneath  the  heavy  loads 
of  fruits,  rice  &/C,  which  they  were  carrying  to 
the  market,  while  stout  and  indolent  men  were 
walking  before  them  at  their  ease:  not  unfre- 
quently,  the  poor  woman,  besides  the  load  upon 
her  head,  has  had  her  infant  astride  upon  her 
hip.  Washing,  ironing  and  clear  starching  are 
all  done  by  the  men  as  the  lighter  work,  while 
the  women  are  sitting  at  the  mill  or  working  in 
the  fields. 

Missionary  Herald,  1831,  p.  189. 


212  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

Bishop  Heber  remarks  that  he  had  noticed 
all  throughout  India,  that  any  thing  is  thought 
good  enough  for  the  weaker  sex,  and  that  the 
roughest  words,  the  poorest  garments,  the  scant- 
iest alms  and  the  hardest  blows  are  generally 
their  portion.  The  estimation  in  which  the 
Hindoos  hold  the  female  sex,  proves  a  formida- 
ble barrier  to  missionary  efforts  for  their  benefit. 
Prejudice  will  scarcly  allow  the  communication 
of  any  improving  knowledge  to  a  sex  thus  sys- 
tematically degraded  and  oppressed. 

Missionary  Herald,  1830,  p.  195. 


INVETERATE  OPPOSITION    TO   THE  INSTRUCTION   OF 
HINDOO  FEMALES. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Adams  proposed  to  a  Brahmin 
to  establish  a  school  for  the  instruction  of  fe- 
males. 

"What  have  we  to  do  with  them?"  the  Hin- 
doo carelessly  replied.  *'Let  them  remain  as 
they  are."  When  reminded  that  they  as  well 
as  the  other  sex,  had  souls  Vv^hich  must  be  saved 
or  lost  forever;  and  that  notvv^ithstanding,  they 
were  so  entirely  neglected  as  not  to  be  allowed 
even  to  learn  to  read.  "They  do  not  know  how 
to  go  to  heaven,"  was  liis  answer,  "but  they 
know   how   to   go   to  hell,  and  let  them  go." 


SUC'JESS    OF    MISSIONS.  213 

Well  may  the  r slater  add,  "O  how  hard  is  the 
heart  of  man  till  it  is  sotlciied  by  the  grace  of 
God! 

Smith  and  Choule's   Hist'y  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  250. 


DIFFICULTIES    ATTENDING    TflE    RENUNCIATION    OF 
CASTE. 

Boodhessa  was  born  a  Mussulman.  He  re- 
nounced his  friends  and  worldly  occupation  to 
become  a  byraffgee,  or  mendicant  saint.  As  a 
devotee,  he  performed  many  acts  that  were  in- 
credibly difficult  and  painful.  Having  heard 
something  of  the  Christian  religion,  he  went 
three  days  journey  to  Serampore  in  quest  of 
farther  information.  Here,  after  having  been 
instructed  by  the  missionaries,  he  was  baptized, 
renouncing  his  supposed  acquisitions  of  sanctity 
to  follow  Christ.  On  leaving  Serampore,  he  re- 
turned to  the  residence  which  he  forsook  when 
he  became  a  byraggee.  When  he  arrived  at 
the  door,  he  was  invited  to  enter  by  the  weep- 
ing family.  He  told  them  he  could  not  go  in, 
as  he  had  lost  caste  and  did  not  wish  to  give 
them  sorrow  without  their  consent. 

Said  the  mother,  (a  very  aged  woman,  weep- 
ing,) "Come  in,  my  son,  why  do  you  stand  at 
the  door?" 


214  IIINDERANCES    TO    THE 

Boodhessa.  "No,  mother;  I  cannot  come  in- 
to the  house:  you  will  lose  your  caste,  for  I  have 
eaten  v/ith  English  people." 

The  mother,  and  his  wife  and  brother. 
"Well,  but  cannot  you  come  in?"  Boodhessa, 
"No,  I  will  not  come  in.  But  if  you  will  come 
and  sit  out,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  have  done,  and 
why  I  have  done  it.' 

The  family.  "Come  then,  let  us  go  and  sit 
in  the  cow-house." 

Boodhessa.  "You  know  that  I  have  wander- 
ed up  and  dov/n  in  search  of  the  true  way.  I 
forsook  the  world,  I  became  a  byraggee,  I  ob- 
tained my  food  by  begging;  I  have  repeated  the 
names  of  God  continually;  I  have  visited  differ- 
ent holy  places,  and  for  twelve  months,  twelve 
hours  every  day,  fixed  my  eyes  on  the  blazing 
orb,  till  I  became  blind  and  my  face  as  black 
as  ink,  was  dried  up.  Besides  this  I  have  done 
some  very  severe  and  terrific  acts,  called  holi- 
ness, but  all  was  in  vain.  I  continued  a  slave 
to  sin  and  my  mind  was  destitute  of  happiness. 
At  length  I  heard  of  there  being  a  new  way 
preached  at  Serampore.  I  have  been  there, 
and  have  heard  glad  tidings;  that  Jesus  Christ 
came  into  the  world  and  bore  the  punishment 
due  to  sinners.  This  is  a  great  word,  and  it 
has  filled  my  soul  with  hope  and  joy.     Hence  I 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  215 

have  laid  aside  the  proud  thought  of  making 
amends  for  my  own  transgressions.  I  make  my 
refuge  in  his  death,  and  consider  all  my  holi- 
ness as  a  heap  of  sin.  I  have  been  baptizeid  in 
his  name.  If  I  can  believe  in  him  and  obey  his 
commands,  I  shall  get  over  my  everlasting  ruin. 
If  you  can  unite  with  me  in  becoming  the  dis- 
ciples of  Christ,  then  I  find  my  home,  my  moth- 
er, my  brother,  my  wife  and  a  Savior  all  at 
once;  but  if  you  cannot,  then  I  will  abide  by 
my  Savior,  and  go  every  where,  proclaiming  his 
name.  If  I  die  in  this  work  under  a  tree  or 
any  where  else,  verily  it  shall  then  be  well  with 
me." 

The  result  was,  that  the  brother  was  to  be 
sent  to  Serampore  to  make  additional  inquiries, 
with  the  agreement  that  if  he  found  the  state- 
ment of  Boodhessa  true,  and  that  a  Savior  had 
actually  come  into  the  world,  all  of  the  family 
were  to  be  baptized.  The  aged  mother  closed 
the  interview  out  of  doors  by  saying,  **WelI 
son,  let  us  go  in,  you  must  eat  with  us,  why 
should  you  stay  out?  are  you  then  of  a  different 
caste  from  your  own  mother? 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  214. 


OPPOSITION  ENCOUNTERED  BY  A  HINDOO  CONVERT. 

Futika,  was  a  native  of  Jossore,   in  Bengal. 
He  was  a  weaver  and  a  strict  idolater.     His  at- 


216  HINDERANCES   TO    THE 

tention  was  first  directed  to  the  Christian  relig- 
ion, by  a  tract  prepared  by  a  native  convert. 
Afterwards  he  received  another  written  by  Mr. 
Ward.  He  became  so  much  interested  in  these 
tracts,  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  reading  them 
to  his  mother  and  sister,  and  to  his  three  inti- 
mate friends,  Dweep-Chandra,  Kanaee,  and 
Kanta.  At  length  he  resolved  to  visit  Seram- 
pore,  where  the  persons  lived  who  gave  away 
these  papers,  as  he  was  informed. 

On  arriving  at  Serarnpore,  nobody  would 
inform  him  where  the  missionaries  were  to  be 
found,  and  he  proceeded  to  Calcutta,  having 
heard  that  Bengalee  tracts  were  to  be  obtained 
there.  When  he  visited  the  house  of  the  gen- 
tleman to  whom  he  had  been  referred,  his  door- 
keeper seized  him  by  the  neck  and  drove  him 
from  the  yard.  This  was  a  sad  disappointment, 
as  he  expected  that  those  who  proclaimed  the 
love  of  Yisoo  Khreest  would  have  taken  him  into 
their  bosoms.  Mortified  and  discouraged,  he 
returned  to  his  village  without  a  farthing  to 
bear  his  expenses.  After  some  months  he  left 
his  home  again,  in  company  with  Kanaee  and 
Kanta,  and  repaired  again  to  Serampore.  They 
inquired  where  the  new  shastra  was  printed. 
The  people,  whom  they  interrogated,  only 
abused  them,  asking  if  they  were  come  to  sell 


SUCCESS    OP    MISSIONS. 


217 


their  caste,  or  if  they  were  perishing  for  want. 
A  Brahmin  to  whom  they  addressed  this  inqui- 
ry did  all  he  could  to  make  them  afraid  and 
ashamed.  Kanaee  and  Kanta  were  almost  per- 
suaded to  turn  back,  till  Futika  reproved  them 
for  their  cowardice.  While  they  were  dispu- 
ting with  this  Brahmin,  near  the  door  of  the 
mission  house  of  which  they  were  in  quest,  one 
of  the  native  assistants  happened  to  pass  out. 
He  inquired  what  they  were  disputing  about. 
Futika  told  him.  With  the  utmost  joy  he  took 
them  by  the  hand  and  brought  them  into  the 
house. 

All  was  new  and  wonderful  to  his  friends, 
but  Futika  himself  was  overwhelmed  with  joy. 
They  staid  five  days,  and  then  returned  to  their 
home  promising  soon  to  return. 

Futika's  mind  was  so  much  engrossed  with  the 
contents  of  the  books  he  had  with  him,  that  he 
almost  fororot  to  eat.  His  neighbors  beo^an  to 
persecute  him.  The  neighboring  brahmins 
and  others  went  to  the  head  man  of  the  village 
complaining  against  Futika,  that  he  had  drawn 
Dweep-Chundra,  Kanaee  and  Kanta  after  him, 
and  would  at  this  rate  draw  away  all  the  neigh- 
borhood; that  these  persons  did  not  mind  caste, 
and  besides  there  was  something  in  the  books  they 
19 


218  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

read,  that  unaccountably  stole  away  their  mind 
and  unfitted  it  for  every  thing.  Futika's  sister 
and  mother  were  also  against  him.  The  head 
man  of  the  village,  hearing  this,  collected  a 
mob,  who  went  to  Futika's  house  on  the  Lord's 
day  while  he  was  at  prayer,  bound  his  hands 
and  dragged  him  into  the  road,  while  the  whole 
village,  men,  women  and  children,  hissed  at 
him  and  treated  him  with  the  greatest  rudeness. 
His  uncle  went  to  still  the  mob,  but  they  hissed 
at  him  and  asked  him  if  he  was  become  Yisoo 
Khreest  also.  They  threw  dust  on  Futika, 
daubing  over  his  eyes  and  stopping  his  ears 
with  mud.  They  offered  him  deliverance  if  he 
would  promise  to  worship  the  gods  like  his  fore- 
fathers, and  forsake  Yisoo  Khreest.  Futika 
entreated  them  to  forbear  asking  him  such  ques- 
tions. 

The  mob  destroyed  his  Bengalee  Testament, 
and  all  the  tracts  in  his  house;  and  he  was  kept 
tied  up  to  the  pillar  of  an  idol  temple  for  several 
hours.  In  the  evening,  when  they  were  tired 
of  punishing  him,  they  promised  to  liberate  him 
if  he  would  give  security  that  he  would  wor- 
ship Christ  no  longer.  He  refused  to  give  this 
assurance,  one  of  the  bystanders  however,  said, 
"I  am  his  surety,"  and  he  was  liberated. 

He  was  then   taken  into  the  service  of  the 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  219 

mission  at  Serampore,  at  which  place  he  died 
in  1808. 

Narrative  of  five  Christian  Hindoos,  Boston,  J.  Loring,  1828. 


PERSECUTION    OF    APAVAS    A    CONVERTED  HINDOO, 
AT   MADRASS. 

Before  the  day  appointed  for  his  baptism  ar- 
rived, (says  Mr.  Loveless,)  he  had  to  encounter 
some  severe  trials.  The  people  of  the  house,  in 
which  he  lived,  observed  that  he  no  longer 
marked  his  forehead  with  ashes,  nor  performed 
other  customary  ceremonies,  and  they  accused 
him  of  impiety  towards  his  gods.  The  report 
of  his  conversion  to  Christianity,  and  his  intend- 
ed baptism  began  to  be  circulated,  and  caused 
an  uproar  among  his  acquaintance.  He  was 
alternately  persuaded,  entreated  and  threatened 
by  his  heathen  countrymen;  and  what  was  worse 
was  coldly  cautioned  to  take  care  what  he  was 
about,  by  some  native  Christians,  so  called. 

One  day  (in  the  week  previous  to  his  bap- 
tism) I  missed  him,  and  he  came  tome  the  next 
morning  in  somewhat  of  a  trepidation,  telling 
me  he  had  just  escaped  from  confinement,  in 
which  he  had  been  placed  by  the  people  of  the 
house  where  he  lived,  they  having  shut  him  up 
without  food,   the   whole  of  the  preceding  day 


220  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

and  night.  He  further  stated  it  having  been  in- 
timated to  him,  that  if  he  persevered  in  resolv- 
ing to  become  a  christian,  poison  would  be  put 
into  his  food,  and  hence  he  couid  not  think  of 
going  back  there.  He  was  baptized  in  the 
midst  of  a  crowded  and  much  affected  congrega- 
tion, and  openly  and  voluntarily  renounced  his 
caste. 

Evan.  Mag.  vol,  xxvii,  p.  432,  quoted  in  Burder's  Miss.  Anecdotes, 
p.  237. 


FIRMNESS    OF  A  HINDOO    WOMAN    UNDER  PERSECU- 
TION. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Sutton,  a  Baptist  missionary, 
related  the  following  account  at  a  public  meet- 
ing in  New  York. 

A  Hindoo  woman,  who  professed  to  have 
been  converted  applied  to  him  for  Christian 
baptism.  He  had  tried  her  state  of  feeling,  by 
representing  to  her  the  sufferings  which  must 
necessarily  follow  a  renunciation  of  her  hea- 
thenish creed;  he  set  before  her  the  loss  of 
caste,  the  wrath  of  her  husband,  the  disgrace, 
misery  and  persecution  she  would  probably  be 
called  to  endure.  ''I  know  all  this,"  she  re- 
plied. "I  considered  about  that  before  I  came 
to  you,  I  am  ready  and  willing  to  bear  it  all:  I 


SUCCESS    OF    MISSIONS.  221 

am  ready  to  sacrifice  all  to  my  Lord.  Surely 
sir,  I  cannot  endure  any  thing  in  comparison  to 
what  he  suffered  for  me. 

Such  was  converting  grace  in  Hindoostan, 
and  such  the  pure  spirit  of  martyrdom  it  could 
infuse  into  the  bosom  of  a  despised  Gentoo 
woman.  She  was  baptized;  her  husband  swore 
to  destroy  her:  she  applied  to  the  judge  to  get 
her  child  restored  to  her,  but  the  judge  decided 
agatnst  her,  her  child  was  torn  from  her,  she 
was  stripped  of  all  her  clothing  in  open  court, 
her  husband  went  to  the  high  priest  of  Jugger- 
naut who  performed  her  funeral  rites,  as  though 
she  were  dead:  and  she  was  considered  by  the 
law  and  by  all  her  former  friends  as  a  dead 
woman.  But  she  endured  it  all  and  endured  it 
patiently,  for  the  love  she  bore  to  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth, who  had  had  mercy  upon  her. 


MARTRYDOM   OF  A  TURKISH  WOMAN. 

A  Turkish  woman  in  Egypt,  being  divorced 
from  her  husband,  lived  with  a  Greek  for  two 
years;  whether  married  or  unmarried,  is  not 
known,  nor  is  it  known  whether  she  had  been 
baptized;  but  she  had  made  the  mark  of  the 
cross  on  her  arm.  A  Turkish  servant  becom- 
*19 


222  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 

ing  dissatisfied  with  her  husband,  expressed  his 
resentment  by  giving  information  of  her  aposta- 
cy  to  her  father.  The  father,  being  a  man  of 
some  consequence,  obtained  a  legal  investiga- 
tion of  the  case.  On  examination  she  confessed 
herself  to  be  a  Christian;  and  was  condemned 
to  be  drowned  in  the  Nile.  Seated  on  an  ass, 
the  unhappy  woman  was  conducted  among  the 
maledictions  of  the  multitudes  to  the  Boulac. 
She  was  taken  into  a  small  boat  on  the  stream, 
and  after  having  been  stripped  of  hor  ornaments 
and  dress,  an  outrage  hastened  by  her  declara- 
tion, "I  shall  die  a  Christian,"  she  was  cast 
into  the  Nile.  Thus  perished  a  female  martyr, 
in  one  of  the  most  tolerant  portions  of  the  Mo- 
hammedan dominion. 

Missionary  Register,  1827,  p.  252. 


PERSECUTION  OF  COiNVERTS   IN  JAPAN. 

In  the  years  1627  and  1628,  persecution 
raged  violently,  the  victims  were  offered  up  in 
crowds. 

One  scene  of  torment  surpassed  all  others 
Two  leagues  from  Nangasaqui,  there  is  a  high 
mountain  called  Ungen,  on  whose  summit  are 
three  or  four  lakes  with  boiling  sulphurous 
waters  heated  by   subterranean  fires.     These 


SUCCESS    OF  MISSIONS.  323 

waters  break  out  sometimes  in  wide  openings  of 
the  earth,  sending  before  them  mountains  of 
flame;  called  by  the  Japanese,  "the  moutlis  of 
hell,"  and  the  waters,  "the  infernal  waters." 
The  waters  of  the  lake  smoke  and  boil  as  if 
they  stood  upon  a  hot  fire;  and  make  so  hideous 
a  noise  that  they  may  be  compared  with  the 
lakes  of  brimstone  and  fire  mentioned  in  the 
Apocalypse. 

The  martyrs,  doomed  to  perish  in  this  horrid 
gulph,  spent  a  day  and  two  nights  in  prayer, 
and  set  forward  on  Sunday  morning,  singing  as 
they  went.  Being  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  they  were  put  in  coffins  of  reeds  and 
carried  upon  men's  shoulders. 

The  plate,  representing  this  strange  martyr- 
dom, discloses  an  appalling  scene.  The  banks 
are  precipitous;  the  waters  boil  fearfully  below, 
amidst  clouds  of  smoke.  Many  are  falling 
headlong,  others  are  placed  in  open  baskets  and 
let  down  by  pulleys  that  they  may  die  slowly: 
crosses  are  on  the  brink  above,  from  which  the 
crucified  sufferers,  while  dying,  can  perfectly 
behold  the  last  moments  of  their  ingulphed  com- 
panions. 

Carne's  lives  of  eminent  missionaries,  vol.  3.  p.  354. 


224  HINDERANCES    TO    THE 


EDICT   OF  THE   CHINESE    EMPEROR    AGAINST   CHRIS- 
TIANITY.   1812,  EXTRACTS. 

The  Europeans  worship  God  because  in  their 
own  country  they  are  used  to  do  so,  and  it  is 
quite  unnecessary  to  inquire  into  the  motive. 
But  why  do  they  disturb  the  common  people  of 
the  interior,  unauthorizedly  appointing  priests 
and  other  functionaries,  who  spread  this  through 
all  the  provinces,  an  obvious  infraction  of  the 
lav/?  The  common  people  deceived  by  them, 
succeed  each  other  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, unwilling  to  depart  from  their  delusion. 
This  may  approach  very  near  to  a  rebellion:  for 
as  the  said  religion  neither  holds  spirits  in  ven- 
eration, nor  ancestors  in  reverence,  this  is  evi- 
dently to  walk  contrary  to  sound  doctrine:  and 
the  common  people  who  follow,  and  familiarize 
themselves  with  such  delusions,  in  what  res- 
pects do  they  differ  from  a  rebel  mob?  If  some 
punishment  be  not  decreed  how  shall  the  evil 
be  eradicated?  and  how  shall  the  human  heart 
be  rectified? 

From  this  time  forward,  such  Europeans  as 
shall  privately  print  books  and  establish  preach- 
ers in  order  to  pervert  the  multitude,  and  the 
Tartars  and  Chinese,  who,  deputed  by  Europe- 
ans, shall  propagate  their  religion,  bestowing 


SUCCESS   OF   MISSIONS.  225 

names  and  disquieting  numbers,  shall  have  this 
to  look  to,  the  chief  or  principal  one  shall  be  ex- 
ecuted: whosoever  shall  spread  their  religion, 
not  making  much  disturbance,  nor  to  many 
men,  and  without  giving  names,  shall  be  im- 
prisoned, waiting  the  time  of  execution:  and 
those  who  shall  content  themselves  with  follow- 
ing such  religion,  without  wishing  to  reform 
themselves  shall  be  exiled.  As  for  Tartars, 
they  shall  be  deprived  of  their  pay.* 

In  disregard  of  this  sincrular  edict,  Morrison 
and  his  fellow  laborers  toiled  to  introduce  Chris- 
tianity into  China.  The  edict  is  not  yet  repeal- 
ed. 


THE  PRINCIPAL  MAN  OF  A  PAGAN  VILLAGE  PUT 
TO  DEATH,  BECAUSE  HE  WAS  FAVORABLE  TO  THE 
INTRODUCTION   OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

Pedro  was  the  Headman  of  the  village  of 
Aroolloor  in  India.  He  was  an  avowed  friend 
to  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  and  for  this 
reason  was  marked  as  a  victim  by  a  man  who 
was  peculiarly  hostile  to  the  efforts  of  missiona- 
ries. On  a  Sabbath  morning  Pedroo  was  dis- 
turbed by  a  tumult  in  the  village.  On  repair- 
ing to  the  spot,  a  band  of  ruffians  led  by  the 
man   who  had  sought    his  destruction,    rushed 

*Smith  and  Choules  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  502, 


226        IIINDERANCES   TO    THE    SUCCESS    &/C. 

upon  him,  exclaiming,  ''That's  the  fellow." 
Their  leader  was  very  active  in  the  assault,  ex- 
claiming "  That's  the  fclloiv  who  has  brought 
Christianity  hither,  strike  him!  strike  him! 
The  assailants  wounded  Pedroo  and  he  fell, 
then  one  of  the  numbers  struck  him  with  a 
large  knife  on  the  head  and  laid  him  senseless 
on  the  ground.  To  complete  the  tragedy  the 
leader  trampled  upon  the  body.  The  wounds 
proved  fatal  before  the  persecuted  man  could  be 
borne  to  a  place  of  safety. 

Missionary  Register,  1827,  p.  564. 


CHAPTER   V. 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


Rouse  to  some  work  of  hii'h  and  holy  love;         , 
********* 
Do  Fometliing — do  it  soon — -with  all  thy  might, 
An  angel's  wing  v/ould  droop  if  long  at  rest, 
And  God  himself  inactive  were  no  longer  blest. 

Wilcox. 

Up  at  the  Gospel's  glorious  call! 
Country  and  kindred,  what  arc  they? 
Rend  from  thy  heart  these  charmers  all, 
Christ  needs  thy  service — heuce  away. 

Mrs.  Sigourney, 


GORDON   HALL. 

Gordon  Hall  was  not  to  be  deterred  from  be- 
coming a  missionary  to  the  heathen,  because  no 
Board  was  yet  in  existence  in  this  country  to 
undertake  the  work  of  missions.  Should  all 
other  means  of  gettinor  to  the  heathen  in  Asia 
fiiil,  he  was  ready  to  pledge  himself  that  he 
would  work  his  passage  to  India,  and  there  throw 
himself  under  Providence  upon  his  own  resour- 
ces. 


228 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


"If  I  am  allowed,"  said  he,  *'to  labor  and 
suffer,  and  die  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel  among 
the  heathen,  I  shall  count  myself  most  happy." 

Life  pp.  20,  and  25. 


ZEAL   OF  A  STUDENT  AT  BASLE. 

When  the  news  of  the  dreadful  ravages  of 
the  fever  at  Sierra  Leone  during  the  last  sum- 
mer, (1823,)  reached  the  ears  of  the  young  men 
at  the  Missionary  Seminary  of  Basle  in  Switz- 
erland, it  seemed  to  animate  them  with  a  strong 
desire  to  step  in  and  fill  the  vacancies  occasion- 
ed by  the  loss  of  missionaries.  After  hearing 
of  the  death  of  Messrs.  Johnson  and  Schemel, 
Mr.  Blumhardt  writes.  "It  was  a  remarkable 
movement  in  our  camp,  when  this  lamentable 
news  was  heard  among  us.  Every  one  of  our 
brethren  was  preparing  himself,  by  the  most 
serious  meditations,  to  come  forward  and  to  offer 
himself  as  a  sacrifice  for  the  Lord.  Should 
many  more  such  tidings  arrive,  we  could  no 
longer  detain  our  dear  brethren  soldiers  from 
going  to  the  spot,  where  the  heroes  of  the 
church  have  fallen.  The  desire  to  be  employed 
in  the  work  of  conversion  among  the  poor  ne- 
groes was  never  stronger  in  our  Missionary 
House,  than  in  these  days." 

Missionary  Herald,  1824,  p.  55. 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


COMMENCEMENT    OF    THE    MORAVIAN    MISSION   IN 
GREENLAND. 

When  the  United  Brethren  first  embarked  in 
the  enterprize  of  sending  missionaries  to  the 
heathen  world,  their  own  congregation  did  not 
exceed  six  hundred  persons.  Of  this  number 
the  greater  part  were  exiles,  who,  after  having 
been  driven  by  persecution  from  their  native 
land,  found  a  hospitable  asylum  on  the  es- 
tate of  Count  Zinzendorf,  in  Upper  Lusatia. 

In  the  year  1732,  a  few  of  this  devoted  peo- 
ple offered  themselves  as  missionaries,  to  go  to 
Greenland.  Two  of  them  visited  Copenhagen 
to  make  preparations  for  the  commencement  of 
the  mission.  Here  they  received  donations 
from  many  of  the  friends  of  religion,  to  forward 
the  enterprise.  Count  Pleiss,  in  the  course  of 
conversation,  inquired  how  they  proposed,  to 
maintain  themselves  in  Greenland.  They  re- 
plied, they  hoped  to  subsist  by  the  labor  of 
their  hands,  and  the  divine  blessing;  as  it  was 
their  intention  to  build  a  house  and  cultivate 
a  piece  of  land,  that  they  might  not  be  burden- 
some to  any.  To  this  he  objected  that  there 
was  no  wood  in  the  country  fit  for  building. 
''Then,"  said  they,  "we  will  dig  a  cave  in  the 
earth  and  dwell  there."  Struck  with  this 
20 


230  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

proof  of  ardent  zeal  and  self  denial,  he  exclaim- 
ed, "No,  you  shall  not  be  driven  to  that  extrem- 
ity: take  timber  with  you  sufficient  to  build  a 
house;  and  accept  of  these  fifty  dollars  for  that 
purpose." 

Smith  and  Choule's  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  42. 


ZEAL   OF    JENS   HAVEN. 

"In  the  year  1752,  hearing  atllernhuth,  that 
Erhardt,  a  missionary  sent  to  the  coast  of  Lab- 
rador, had  been  murdered  by  the  Esquimaux, 
I  felt  for  the  first  time  a  strong  impulse  to  go 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  this  very  nation;  and 
became  certain  in  my  own  mind,  that  I  should 
go  to  Labrador.  I  agreed  with  a  brother  of  the 
name  of  Nielson,  that  as  soon  as  there  appeared 
the  least  probability  of  our  going,  we  should 
offer  ourselves  for  that  purpose."  Six  years 
afterwards  he  became  a  missionary  and  labored 
in  the  country  to  which  his  youthful  desires  had 
tended. 

Game's  lives  of  eminent  Missionaries,  vol,  2.  p.  216. 


EARLY  STRUGGLES   OF  DANIEL    SCHLATTER. 

Daniel  Schlatter,   was   a  native  of  Switzer- 
land.    He  served  in  the  capacity  of  merchant's 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


231 


clerk,  in  the  town  of  St.  Gallen,  for  a  number 
of  years  with  great  credit  to  himself,  comfort  to 
his  family  and  advantage  to  his  employer. 
Very  early  in  life  his  mother's  pious  care  for 
his  soul  was  blessed  to  his  conversion.  As  he 
rose  in  years,  he  read  missionary  intelligence 
with  great  avidity.  Thus  was  interest  in  the 
work  of  missions  nourished  within  his  breast, 
until  the  desire  to  be  himself  a  missionary  to 
the  heathen,  became  the  first  wish  of  his 
heart. 

After  some  years  he  found  himself  at  liberty 
to  seek  admission  to  the  missionary  Institution 
at  Basle.  But  as  he  had  embraced  the  senti- 
ments of  adult  baptism,  he  could  not  be  admit- 
ted, consistently  with  the  rules  of  the  Semina- 
ry. The  directors,  however,  willing  to  aid  him 
to  the  extent  of  their  power,  liberally  paid  his 
travelling  expenses  to  Tartary,  to  which  coun- 
try he  was  anxious  to  repair  for  the  purpose  of 
qualifying  himself  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
Nogaien  tribes.  Here  he  hired  himself,  as  a 
groom  and  house  servant,  to  a  Tartar  chief, 
named  Abdullah.  In  this  capacity  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  acquisition  of  the  language  while 
he  obtained  at  the  same  time  an  intimate  know- 
ledge of  the  Tartar  character.  He  was  willing 
to  endure  the  drudgery  of  a  menial  rather  than 


232  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

forego  the  privilege  of  fitting  himself  for  the 
duties  of  a  missionary. 

Nor  was  his  zeal  unaccompanied  by  strong 
natural  affection.  The  following  circumstance, 
while  it  indicates  rare  filial  attachment,  sheds  a 
hallowed  lustre  upon  his  character. 

His  mother  in  Switzerland,  was  visited  with 
illness  that  threatened  her  life.  In  conse- 
quence of  her  strong  desire  to  see  her  son  Dan- 
iel once  more,  before  death,  he  was  apprised  of 
her  dangerous  condition  and  urged  to  leave  his 
distant  residence  to  make  her  a  visit  without 
delay.  He  obtained  leave  from  his  master  Ab- 
dullah to  return  to  Switzerland.  The  same 
day,  he  commenced  a  journey  of  one  thousand 
English  miles,  without  any  other  means  than 
faith  in  God,  except  that  his  master,  who  shed  a 
tear  at  parting  with  his  servant,  gave  him  one 
of  his  best  horses.  The  use  of  the  horse  he 
had,  on  condition  of  bringing  him  back  if  it 
could  be  done  conveniently.  He  sold  the  horse 
on  the  road,  and  sent  back  the  whole  proceeds 
to  Abdullah.  He  walked  nearly  the  whole  dis- 
tance to  his  mother's  house,  and  to  his  great 
gratification  found  her  recovering.  The  shock, 
however,  occasioned  by  the  unexpected  arrival 
of  her  beloved  son,  so  much  sooner  than  he  was 
expected,  was  almost   fatal  to  the  affectionate 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  233 

parent.  After  spending  a  few  weeks  with  his 
mother,  he  returned  to  his  proposed  field  of 
missionary  toil,  travelling  in  the  same  manner 
in  which  he  came,  and  resumed  his  employ- 
ments among  the  Tartars,  panting  for  the  privi- 
lecre  of  makino-  known  to  them  a  crucified  Re- 
deemer. 

Missionary  Herald,  1824.  p.  56. 


THE  ANXIETY   OF  DR.    !\nLNE  IN  EARLY  LIFE  TO 
BECOME   A  MISSIONARY. 

The  late  Dr.  Milne,  missionary  to  Malacca, 
when  soliciting  admission  in  his  youth  to  the 
Institution  at  Gosport,  had  his  zeal  put  to  a 
painful  test.  His  first  appearance  seemed  to 
the  committee  of  examination  so  rustic  and  un- 
promis*ing,  that  a  worthy  member  of  the  com- 
mittee said  privately  to  another,  that  he  could 
not  recommend  Mr.  Milne  as  a  missionary,  for 
he  doubted  whether  he  had  the  necessary  quali- 
fications, but  that  he  would  have  no  objections 
to  join  in  recommending  him  as  a  servant  to  a 
mission,  provided  he  would  be  willing  to  occupy 
such  a  station.  In  consequence  of  this  sugges- 
tion a  member  of  the  committee  held  a  private 
interview  with  the  young  student.  After  stat- 
ing the  objection  which  had  been  made,  he 
♦20 


234  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

asked  Mr.  Milne  whether  he  would  consent  to 
such  a  proposal?  He  replied  without  hesita- 
tion, and  with  the  most  significant  and  anima- 
ted expression  of  countenance,  "Yes,  sir,  most 
certainly.  I  am  willing  to  be  any  thing  so  that 
I  am  in  the  work;  to  be  'a  hewer  of  wood  and  a 
drawer  of  water'  is  too  great  an  honor  for  me 
when  the  Lord's  house  is  building."  Under 
such  unpromising  circumstances  and  with  such 
quenchless  zeal  did  this  eminent  and  learned 
missionary  commence  his  useful  career. 

Missionary  Herald,  18-25.  p.  57. 


DR.   PHILIP. 

Some  years  ago  an  English  clergyman  was 
invited  to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  a  large 
and  wealthy  congregation.  One  of  his  first 
inquiries  on  coming  among  them,  was,  what 
they  had  done  in  aid  of  benevolent  Societies. 
*'What  does  your  subscription  for  foreign  Mis- 
sions amount  to?"  We  have  not  given  any 
thing  for  that  object.  "And  for  the  Bible  So- 
ciety?" Nothing.  "I  cannot  stay  with  such  a 
church,"  said  the  clergyman.  The  members 
of  the  congregation,  who  were  extremely  anx- 
ious to  secure  his  services,  remarked  that  he 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


235 


could  himself  open  subscriptions  for  these  differ- 
ent religious  societies  on  the  spot.  He  took  them 
at  their  word,  and  set  himself  immediately  to 
work.  He  organized  several  associations  among 
his  people,  and  collected,  the  first  year,  six  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling  (nearly  $3,000.)  During 
the  same  year,  he  sent  from  his  own  church, 
eleven  members  to  be  missionaries;  before  he 
left  his  charge,  he  had  sent  out  twenty,  and 
finally  devoted  himself  to  the  missionary  work. 
This  clergyman  is  now  known  to  all  friends  of 
the  cause.  It  was  Dr.  Philip,  now  Superin- 
tendent of  the  London  Society's  missions  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Stilted  by   Rev.  Mr.   Plumer,  at  a  public  niectins  in  New  York. 
JMay,  1836. 


LIEFUVYN. 

Liefuvyn,  an  Englishman,  was  distinguished 
among  the  missionaries  who  labored  in  Germa- 
ny, during  the  eighth  century.  He  ventured  to 
appear  before  the  assembly  of  the  Saxons;  and 
while  they  were  sacrificing  to  their  idols,  he  ex- 
horted them  with  a  loud  voice  to  turn  from  those 
vanities  to  serve  the  living  God.  His  zeal  near- 
ly cost  him  his  life.  He  was  suffered  to  depart, 
only  after  the  urgent  remonstrances  of  Buto, 


236  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

one  of  the  Saxon  chiefs,  who  contended  that  it 
would  be  unreasonable  to  treat  an  ambassador 
of  the  great  God  with  less  respect  than  they  did 
an  ambassador  of  any  of  the  neighboring  na- 
tions. After  the  arms  of  Charlemagne  pre- 
vailed over  the  Saxons,  the  labors  of  Liefuvyn 
became  more  successful,  and  he  continued  to 
preach  among  this  people  till  his  death. 

Border's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  118. 


CHRISTIANITY    FNTRODUCED   AMONG    THE    BULGARI- 
ANS, BY  THE  ZEAL  OF   A    PRINCESS. 

The  Bulgarians  were  a  fierce  Sclavonic  peo- 
ple who  had  long  been  troublesome  to  the  Greek 
Emperors,  at  the  commencement  of  the  ninth 
century.  The  sister  of  their  king  Bogoris,  hav- 
ing been  taken  captive  in  a  military  excursion, 
was  brought  to  Constantinople  and  there  em- 
braced Christianity.  Upon  her  redemption  and 
return  to  her  own  country,  she  gave  a  strong 
evidence  that  her  change  of  religion  had  been 
more  than  nominal.  She  was  struck  with  grief 
and  compassion  to  see  the  king,  her  brother, 
remain  an  idolater;  and  she  used  the  most  co- 
gent arguments  in  her  power  to  effect  his  con- 
version. Bogoris  was  not  prevailed  upon  how- 
ever to  receive  the  Gospel,  till,  a  famine  and  a 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  237 

plague  appearing  in  Bulgaria,  she  persuaded 
him  to  pray  to  the  God  of  the  christians.  He 
did  so  and  the  plague  ceased.  There  was 
something  so  remarkable  in  the  event  that  Bo- 
Sforis  was  induced  to  send  for  missionaries  from 
Constantinople:  and  at  length  received  baptism 
with  many  of  his  people. 

Burtler's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  120. 


THE   PLAGUE  BRAVED    BY  CATHOLIC    MISSIONARIES 

The  following  account  is  taken  by  Chateau- 
briand, from  the  celebrated  "Lettres  Edifiantes," 
describing  the  voluntary  exposure  of  Missiona- 
ries at  Constantinople. 

One  of  their  number  writes, 

"In  times  of  pestilence,  as  it  is  necessary  to 
be  near  at  hand  to  administer  aid  to  those  who 
have  been  seized,  and  as  we  have  here  but  four 
or  five  missionaries,  our  practice  has  been,  that 
but  a  single  Father  should  enter  the  Bagnes 
(occupied  by  enslaved  christians,)  and  that  he 
should  remain  there  during  tbe  whole  time  the 
pestilence  lasts.  He,  who  procures  the  permis- 
sion of  his  superior  thus  to  enter,  prepares  him- 
self by  several  days  of  devotional  retirement, 
and  bids  farewell  to  his  brethren,  as  one  soon  to 


238 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


die.  Sometimes  the  sacrifice  is  consummated; 
at  others  the  missionary  escapes  unharmed." 

A  young  missionary  describes  himself  as  be- 
ing obliged  to  lay  his  ear  upon  the  mouth  of  the 
sick,  to  hear  their  dying  words,  and  thus  incur 
the  greatest  possible  exposure. 

"I  have  now,"  says  another  of  these  intrepid 
men,  ''risen  above  all  the  fears  which  an  infec- 
tious disease  can  inspire,  and,  with  the  blessing 
of  God,  shall  never  die  of  this  disorder,  after  the 
perils  I  have  encountered.  I  have  just  quitted 
the  Bagne,  in  which  I  administered  the  last 
offices  of  religion  to  eighty  six  persons.  During 
the  day  it  seemed  to  me  that  nothing  disturbed 
me:  it  was  only  at  night,  during  the  little  slum- 
ber which  I  was  permitted  to  take,  that  I  found 
my  mind  filled  with  the  most  frightful  ideas. 
The  greatest  peril  which  I  have  incurred,  (and 
that  perhaps  through  my  life  I  shall  have  incur- 
red) has  been  in  the  lowermost  hold  of  a  ship 
of  war,  of  eighty  two  guns.  The  slaves,  by  the 
connivance  of  their  keepers,  had  procured  for 
me  admission  at  evening,  that  I  might,  during 
the  whole  night,  receive  their  confessions  and 
perform  mass  early  in  the  morning.  We  were 
shut  up  under  double  locks,  according  to  cus- 
tom. Of  fifty  two  slaves,  whose  confessions  I 
heard,  twelve  were  sick;  and  three  died   before 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  239 

I  left.  Judge  what  the  air  must  have  been  in 
this  close  place,  where  there  was  not  the  least 
opening.  God,  who  has  saved  me  in  this  in- 
stance, will  save  me  in  many  others." 

Well  might  Chateaubriand  exclaim,  "A  man 
who  voluntarily  shuts  himself  up  in  a  Prison,  in 
the  time  of  Plague,  who  ingenuously  avows  his 
alarm,  and  who  yet  overcomes  it,  from  the 
strength  of  his  piety;  who  at  last  pays  for  en- 
trance (as  if  to  enjoy  some  illicit  pleasure)  into 
the  lowermost  hold  of  a  ship  of  war,  that  he  may 
assist  slaves  dying  of  the  Plague,  let  us  admit 
such  a  man  follows  not  an  impulse  of  nature. 
Here  is  something  above  mere  humanity.  The 
missionaries  themselves  confess  this,  and  take 
not  upon  them  the  merit  of  these  admirable  la- 
bors. "It  is  God,"  say  they  frequently,  ''who 
gives  to  us  this  strength.  No  part  of  it  is  our 
own." 

Translated  from  "Genie  du  Christianisme,"  vol.  4,  p.  165. 


ZEAL   OF  JESUITS. 

"After  my  return  to  Europe,"  said  a  catholic 
missionary  who  had  visited  China,  "when  my 
intention  of  seeking  laborers  for  this  vineyard 
(China)  was  divulged,  immediately  there  were 
so  many  candidates,  that  there  is  scarcely   a 


240 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


province  of  our  society  from  which  I  have  not 
received  many  letters  from  several  fathers,  not 
only  offering  themselves,  but  earnestly  request- 
ing me  to  accept  them  as  soldiers  in  this  enter- 
prize.  In  Portugal  from  the  two  colleges  of 
Coimbra  and  Ebora  alone  I  had  a  list  of  ninety 
persons  so  desirous  to  labor  in  this  mission,  that 
many  of  them  have  sent  me  very  long  letters, 
all  written  and  signed  with  their  own  blood, 
witnessing  in  this  manner  that  they  had  a  holy 
courage  that  could  despise  the  threats  of  mar- 
trydom,  offering  cheerfully  to  the  Lord,  that 
little  blood  as  a  testimony  of  the  great  desire 
they  had  to  shed  it  for  His  sake. 

Chinese  Repository,  vol.  1,  p.  487. 

Such  was  the  zeal  of  Jesuits  when  they  had 
access  to  China.  Shall  not  such  an  example 
provoke  Protestants  to  an  equal  willingness  to 
practice  self-denial  in  spreading  an  uncorrupted 
Gospel? 


MISSIONARY  ZEAL  OP  A  POOR  WOMAN. 

A  poor  woman  had  attended  a  missionary 
meeting  a  few  years  since.  Her  heart  was 
moved  with  pity.  She  looked  around  on  her 
house  and  furniture  to  see  what  she  could  spare 


MISSIONARY   ZEAL. 


241 


for  the  mission.  She  could  think  of  nothing 
that  would  be  of  any  use.  At  length  she 
thought  of  her  five  children,  three  daughters 
and  two  sons.  She  entered  her  closet,  and  con- 
secrated them  to  the  mission.  Two  of  her 
daughters  are  now  in  heathen  lands  and  the 
other  is  preparing  to  go.  Of  her  sons,  one  is 
on  his  way  to  India,  and  the  other  is  preparing 
for  the  ministry,  and  inquiring  on  the  subject 
of  a  missionary  life. 

Stated  by  Rov.  W.  S.   Plumer,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Virginia  Bap- 
tist Education  Society. 


ZEAL    OF  XAVIER. 

When  Francis  Xavier  was  about  to  under- 
take his  mission  to  India,  his  friends  strongly 
expostulated  with  him,  on  the  dangers  he  would 
have  to  encounter,  from  the  malignity  of  the 
climate,  the  sterility  of  the  land  and  the  barbar- 
ism of  the  inhabitants.  This  representation 
only  seemed  to  inspire  him  with  more  zeal. 

"The  most  tractable   and  opulent  nations," 

said  he,  "will  not  want  preachers;  but  this  is 

for  me,  because  others  will  not  undertake  it. 

If  the  country   abounded  in  odoriferous  woods 

and  mines  of  gold,  all  dangers  would  be  braved 

in   order   to   procure   them:    should  merchants 
21 


242 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


then  be  more  intrepid  than  missionaries?  Shall 
these  unfortunate  people  be  excluded  from  the 
blessings  of  redemption?  It  is  true  they  are  very 
barbarous  and  brutal;  but  even  were  they  more 
so,  He,  who  can  convert  even  stones  into  the 
children  of  Abraham,  cannot  he  soften  their 
hearts?  Should  I  be  instrumental  in  the  salva- 
tion of  but  one  of  them,  I  should  think  myself 
well  recompensed  for  all  the  labors  and  dangers 
by  which  you  endeavor  to  affright  me." 

Smith  and  Choules  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  27.  Introd. 


HENRY     PALMER,     OR     THE     MISSIONARY    AND    THE 
SOLDIER. 

A  writer  in  the  London  Record,  in  urging 
the  duty  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  England 
to  volunteer  as  missionaries  to  Canada,  relates 
the  anecdote  which  we  give  below,  with  the 
following  preamble.  ''I  have  often  felt  wound- 
ed and  grieved,  by  hearing  the  privations  of 
missionaries  much  harped  upon.  Soldiers  and 
sailors  go  to  inhospitable  climes  at  the  call  of 
duty — neither  whining  nor  simpering  is  set  up 
for  them;  a  merchant  also  crosses  boisterous 
seas,  in  pursuit  of  honorable  trade,  perchance; 
but  as  soon  as  a  minister  leaves  home  for  a  for- 
eign field  of  labor,  immediately  do  we  hear  of 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  243 

his  self-devotedness,  and  a  puling  sympathy  is 
extorted  for  the  self-denying  man.  Surely  this 
is  not  right." 

"Some  years  since,  the  late  much  esteemed 
Sir  Charles  Macarthy,  Governor  of  Sierra  Le- 
one, being  in  England  and  much  in  want  of 
faithful  men  to  labor  in  that  sickly  climate,  when 
there  had  just  been  a  great  mortality  among  the 
missionaries,  attended  the  Committee  of  the 
Church  of  England  Society  in  London,  and  thus 
in  substance  addressed  them: — 'Gentlemen,  I 
need  not  tell  you  how  many  of  your  zealous  and 
devoted  missionaries  have  recently  fallen  a  sac- 
rifice to  the  deadly  climate  of  Sierra  Leone; 
and  it  grieves  me  to  find  that  you  have  not  on 
your  list,  any  volunteers  to  supply  the  place  of 
those  men  of  God  who  have  just  been  cut  off  by 
disease.  But,  gentlemen,  I  have  just  been  at 
the  Horse  Guards,  and  on  inquiring  there 
whether  there  were  any  officers  ready  to  pro- 
ceed to  that  sickly  station,  a  list  containing 
several  hundred  names  was  immediately  handed 
to  me  of  individuals  anxious  to  accompany  me 
on  my  return;  and  is  it  possible  that  there  is 
not  one  man  in  England  willing  to  go  forth  with . 
his  life  in  his  hand  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
poor  perishing  negroes?'  A  young  friend  who 
had  left  the  army,  where  he  had  greatly  distin- 


244  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

guished  himself,  and  had  studied  for  the  minis- 
try, was  sitting  in  a  retired  part  of  the  room* 
the  words  of  Sir  Charles  reached  his  heart;  he 
offered  himself  and  was  accepted,  as  a  mission- 
ary under  that  Society,  and  soon  after  proceed- 
ed to  Sierra  Leone,  where,  through  his  instru- 
mentality, a  goodly  number  of  poor  negroes 
were  turned  from  the  service  of  dumb  idols  to 
that  of  the  living  and  true  God,  who  learned  to 
bless  the  name  of  Henry  Palmer  while  he  lived, 
and  who  doubtless  will  be  his  crown  of  rejoicing 
throughout  eternity." 

New  York  Observer,  Jan.  3,  1835. 


XAVIER'S  APPEAL  TO  CHRISTIANS  IN  EUROPE. 

In  one  of  his  letters  to  Europe,  Xavier  wrote 
from  Cochin  as  follows,  *'I  have  often  thoughts 
to  run  over  all  the  universities  of  Europe,  and 
principally  that  of  Paris,  and  to  cry  aloud  to 
those  who  abound  more  in  learning  than  chari- 
ty. Ah!  how  many  souls  are  lost  to  heaven 
through  your  neglect!  Many,  without  doubt, 
would  be  moved,  would  make  a  spiritual  retreat 
and  give  the  leisure  for  meditating  on  heavenly 
things.  They  would  renounce  their  passions, 
and  trampling  under  foot  all  worldly  vanities, 
would  put  themselves  in  a  condition  of  following 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  245 

the  divine  will.  Then  they  would  say,  Behold 
me  in  readiness.  O  Lord,  How  much  more 
happily  would  those  learned  men  then  live! 
With  how  much  more  assurance  would  they  die? 
Millions  of  idolaters  might  be  easily  converted, 
if  there  were  more  preachers  who  would  sin- 
cerely mind  the  interests  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
not  their  own." 


XAVIER'S  ZEAL  NOT  DAUNTED  BY  PEUSONAL 
INSULTS. 

Francis  Xavier  sometimes  received,  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  zealous  labors,  the  most  mor- 
tifying treatment.  As  he  was  preaching  in  one 
of  the  cities  of  Japan,  some  of  the  multitude, 
made  sport  of  him.  One,  more  wanton  than 
the  rest,  went  to  him  while  he  addressed  the 
people,  feigning  that  he  had  something  to  com- 
municate in  private.  Upon  his  approach,  Xa- 
vier leaned  his  head  to  learn  what  he  had  to  say. 
The  scorner  thus  gained  his  object,  which  was 
to  spit  freely  upon  the  face  of  the  devoted  mis- 
sionary, and  thus  insult  him  in  the  most  public 
manner.  The  father  without  speaking  a  word, 
or  making  the  least  sign  of  emotion  or  concern, 
took  out  his  handkerchief,  wiped  his  face  and 
*'2i 


246  MISSIONARY    ZLAL. 

continued   his  discourse,  as  if  nothing  had  oc- 
curred. 

By  such  a  heroic  example  of  meekness,  the 
scorn  of  the  audience  was  turned  into  admira- 
tion. The  most  learned  doctor  of  the  city,  who 
happened  to  be  present,  said  to  himself,  that  a 
law  which  taught  men  such  virtue,  inspired 
men  with  such  unshaken  courage,  and  gave 
them  so  perfect  a  victory  over  themselves,  could 
not  but  be  from  God.  Afterwards  he  desired 
baptism  and  his  example  was  followed  by  many 
others.  So  effectually  did  the  meekness  of  the 
missionary  promote  the  success  of  his  work. 

Butler's  lives  of  the  Saints,  vol.  II,  p.  28. 


ROBERT  BOYLE'S   INTEREST    IN  MISSIONS. 

About  the  year  1680,  the  Hon.  Robert 
Boyle  evinced  rare  zeal  for  the  diffusion  of 
Christianity.  He  ordered  five  hundred  copies 
of  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts  to  be  translated 
and  printed  in  the  Malayan  tongue,  and  sent  to 
the  East  at  his  own  charge;  and  a  considerable 
number  of  Pococke's  Arabic  translations,  to  be 
distributed  in  every  country  in  which  that  lan- 
guage was  spoken.  He  also  contributed  large 
sums  to  the  translation  of  the  Welch  and  Irish 
Bibles.     At  the  same  time  he  rendered  valua- 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  247 

ble  aid  to  the  missionary  Elliot  in  his  endeav- 
ors to  evangelize  the  aborigines  of  North  Amer- 
ica. This  great  man  did  not  disdain  the  enter- 
prize  of  imparting  Christianity  to  the  pagan 
world. 

Sacred  Classics,  vol.  18,  Introd.  p.  18. 


ZEAL    OF    ELLIOT. 

Soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  Non-con- 
formists in  New  England,  Mr.  Elliot  felt  him- 
self strongly  disposed  to  attempt  the  conversion 
of  the  native  Indians.  He  was  affected  with 
that  sentiment  which  is  expressed  on  the  seal  of 
the  Massachusetts  colony:  a  poor  Indian,  hav- 
ing a  label  from  his  mouth,  with  these  words. 
''Come  over  and  help  us."  He  was  further  in- 
duced to  enter  upon  this  work  by  the  following 
sentence  in  the  royal  charter.  *'To  win  and 
incite  the  natives  to  the  knowledge  and  obedi- 
ence of  the  only  true  God,  and  Savior  of  man- 
kind and  the  Christian  faith,  is  our  royal  inten- 
tion, the  adventurers  free  professions  and  the 
principal  end  of  the  plantation." 

In  the  prosecution  of  his  efforts  to  evangelize 
the  Indians,  he  endured  many  hardships.  In  a 
letter  to  a  friend  he  says.  "I  have  not  been 
dry  night  nor  day,   from  the  third  day  of  the 


248  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

week  to  the  sixth,  but  so  travelled;  and  at  night  ^ 
pull  off  my   boots,   wring  my   stockings  and  on 
with  them  again    and  so  continue.     But  God 
steps  in  and  helps." 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  48. 

After  having  formed,  with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty, a  grammar  of  the  Indian  language,  he 
wrote,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  'Trayers  and 
pains  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  will  do  any 
thing." 

Such  was  the  perseverance  of  Elliot  in  his 
great  work,  that  on  the  day  of  his  death,  in  his 
80th  year  the  "apostle  of  the  Indians,"  was 
found  teaching  the  alphabet  to  an  Indian  child 
at  his  bed  side.  "Why  not  rest  from  your  la- 
bors, now?"  said  a  friend.  "Because,"  said 
the  venerable  man,  "I  have  prayed  to  God  to 
render  me  useful  in  my  sphere;  and  now  that  I 
can  no  longer  preach,  he  leaves  me  strength 
enough  to  teach  this  poor  child  his  alphabet." 

Anecdotes  of  Christian  Missions,  p.  203. 


IDOLATERS  REPROVED  BY  A  CHILD. 

At  Buhapuram,  in  the  Northern  Circars,  a 
child  about  eight  years  old,  who  had  been  edu- 
cated in  the  Christian  faith,  was  ridiculed  on 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL  249 

account  of  his  sentiments,  by  some  Hindoo 
adults.  He  replied  by  repeating  what  he  had 
been  taught  respecting  God.  "Shew  us  your 
God,"  said  the  heathen.  "I  cannot  do  that," 
said  the  child,  "but  I  can  soon  shew  yours  to 
you."  Taking  up  a  stone,  and  daubing  it  so  as 
to  produce  some  resemblance  to  a  human  face, 
he  placed  it  very  gravely  upon  the  ground,  say- 
ing, "There  is  such  a  god  as  you  worship." 

Burder's  Miss.  Anecdotes,  p.  321. 


A    HINDOO    CONVERTED    BY    THE    INSTRUCTION    OF 
AN  ENGLISH   CHILD. 

"Between  two  and  three  years  ago,"  said  a 
gentleman  at  an  annual  meeting  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  "I  went  from  Bom- 
bay into  the  country,  for  the  health  of  my  fami- 
ly. We  pitched  our  tents  in  a  beautiful  grove. 
One  day  as  our  little  girl,  not  then  three  years 
old,  was  walking  through  the  grove  with  a  na- 
tive servant  who  waited  on  her,  they  came  near 
to  an  old  ruinous  Hindoo  temple.  The  man 
leaving  the  child,  stepped  aside  and  paid  his 
adorations,  or  "made  his  salaam,"  as  they  call 
it,  to  a  stone  idol,  that  was  fixed  at  the  door  of 
the  temple. — When  he  came  back  to  the  child 
she  said  in  her  innocent  way,  "Saamy,   what 


250  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

for  you  do  that?"  "O  missey,"  said  he  "that 
my  god."  "Your  god,"  said  the  little  girl, 
"Your  god!  Saamy?  why  your  god  no  can  see — 
no  can  hear — no  can  walk — your  god  stone! 
My  God  see  every  thing — my  God  make  you — 
make  me  — make  every  thing." 

We  remained  at  this  lonely  place  for  four 
months.  Saamy  never  failed  to  worship  at  the 
temple,  and  the  dear  child  never  failed  to  re- 
buke him  for  his  idolatry. 

He  loved  her,  however,  very  much;  and  when 
he  thought  she  was  going  to  Europe,  he  said  to 
her,  *What  will  poor  Saamy  do,  when  Missey 
go  to  England.  Saamy  no  father,  no  mother.' 
She  instantly  replied,  'O  Saamy  if  you  love  my 
God  he  will  be  your  father  and  mother  too." 
The  old  man  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  promised  to 
love  her  God.  "Then,"  said  she,  "you  must 
learn  my  prayers,"  and  she  taught  him  the 
Lord's  prayer,  and  her  morning  and  evening 
hymns;  and  one  morning  when  we  were  met 
for  family  worship,  Saamy,  of  his  own  accord, 
quite  unexpected,  came  into  the  room,  took  his 
turban  off  his  head,  and  laid  it  on  the  floor,  and 
kneeling  down,  repeated  after  me  the  Lord's 
prayer. 

From  that  time  there  was  a  visible  change  in 
his  whole  conduct,    particularly  in  his   regard 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  251 

for  truth.  He  became  anxious  to  learn  English, 
that  he  might  read  the  Bible,  and  in  a  little  time 
he  accomplished  the  task,  and  began  to  live  as 
a  consistent  Christian. 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  321. 


CONSCIENTIOUS  ZEAL  OF  CONVERTED  PAGANS. 

Missionary  associations  were  formed  among 
the  converted  islanders  of  the  South  Seas,  to 
aid  the  London  Missionary  Society.  The  con- 
tributions consisted  of  oil,  cotton,  arrow-root 
and  swine.  Such  articles  were  subscribed  'Ho 
huy  money  icith.^' 

When  an  auxiliary  association  was  formed  at 
Huahine,  the  people  were  cautioned  against  mak- 
ing donations  merely  from  a  sense  of  constraint. 
Still,  a  native  brought  a  pig  to  the  treasurer, 
Hautia,  and  throwing  the  animal  down  at  his 
feet,  said,  in  an  angry  tone,  "Here  is  a  pig  for 
your  society."  "Take  it  back  again,"  replied 
Hautia,  calmly,  "God  does  not  accept  angry 
pigs."  He  then  explained  the  objects  of  the 
society,  and  urged  upon  the  consideration  of 
the  native  the  fact,  that  "The  Lord  loveth  a 
cheerful  giver."  The  man  was  deeply  chagrin- 
ed at  the  unyielding  refusal  of  the  treasurer. 
In   Tahiti,   on   a   similar   occasion,    a    person 


252  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

brought  a  quantity  of  cocoa-nut  oil  to  Pomare, 
in  a  like  bad  spirit,  exclaiming,  "Here  are  five 
bamboos  of  oil,  take  them  for  your  Society." 
"No,"  said  the  king,  "I  will  not  mix  your  an- 
gry bamboos  with  the  missionary  oil,  take  them 
away." 

Are  no  dollars  cast  into  the  treasury  of  the 
Lord  with  a  wrong  spirit? 

Tyerman  and  Bennet's  Journal,  vol.  1,  p.  273.  Lond. 


A  POOR  BLIND  GIRL. 

A  poor  blind  girl,  in  England,  brought  to  a 
clergyman  30  shillings,  for  the  missionary 
cause.  He  objected,  "You  are  a  poor  blind 
girl,  and  cannot  afford  to  give  so  much."  "I 
am  indeed  blind,"  said  she,  "but  can  afford  to 
give  these  30  shillings,  better  perhaps  than  you 
suppose."  "How  so."  "I  am.  Sir,  by  trade  a 
basket  maker,  and  can  work  as  well  in  the  dark 
as  in  the  light.  Now,  I  am  sure  in  the  last 
winter,  it  must  have  cost  those  girls  who  have 
eyes  more  than  30  shillings  for  candles,  to  work 
by,  which  I  have  saved;  and  therefore  hope 
you  will  take  it  for  the  missionaries." 

Burder'8  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  318. 


MISSIONARY  ZEAL. 


ZEAL  OF  A  VOUNG  LADY. 


253 


A  young  lady  obtained  in  a  single  village, 
where  she  resided,  sixty  five  subscribers  for  the 
Missionary  Herald.  As  she  made  application 
from  house  to  house,  she  reasoned  thus.  If  one 
of  your  children  should  be  sick,  do  you  not  im- 
agine that  in  the  course  of  the  year  you  could 
settle  the  doctor's  bill  of  a  dollar  and  a  half. 
**0  yes."  ''Then  surely  you  can  take  the  Mis- 
sionary Herald:  perhaps  it  may  heal  some  dis- 
eases of  the  mind."  ''O  yes"  was  cheerfully 
responded  with  the  name  of  one  subscriber  after 
another. 

The  same  young  lady  purposes  to  collect  a 
thousand  dollars  for  the  American  Board,  in  the 
course  of  a  year:  and  within  a  month  from  the 
time  of  forming  the  design,  she  remitted  the 
first  hundred  dollars.  She  reasons  thus,  ''were 
it  to  redeem  my  father  from  the  prisons  of  the 
Inquisition,  or  my  mother  from  the  funeral  pile, 
or  my  little  brother  from  the  Ganges,  could  I 
not  collect  in  365  days,  by  my  own  industry,  by 
well  devised  plans,  and  by  soliciting  from  my 
rich  friends  a  thousand  dollars." 

She  immediately  resolved  to  open  an  evening 
school  for  the  instruction  of  illiterate  females, 
all  the  avails  to  be  applied  to  the  favorite  object. 

Missionary  Heralr^   162L  p.  159. 

22 


254 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


ZEAL  OF  A  SIBERIAN   CONVERT. 


Letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Swan,  missionary  in 
Siberia,  from  Shagdur,  a  Mongol  Buriat  con- 
vert, dated  Dec.  24,  1835,  from  Selinginsk. 

''My  dear  sir.  While  you  and  I  are,  by  the 
merciful  providence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
alive  and  in  health,  I  desire  to  lay  one  little 
matter  before  you.  It  pleased  God  to  give  me 
lately  a  son;  and  it  has  now  pleased  him  to  re- 
move the  child  from  me.  Now  sir,  when  my 
little  William  was  born,  the  neighbors,  came  in, 
bearing  to  it  gifts,  some  gave  one  copeck  (about 
one  tenth  of  a  penny,)  some  two;  in  all  forty 
copecks.  When  the  child  died,  I  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with  this  money:  but  at  length  a 
thought  come  to  me  which  gave  joy  to  my  heart; 
and  about  this  I  write  these  few  lines.  Amongst 
the  many  letters  which  go  to  make  up  the  words 
contained  in  the  New  Testament,  printed  for 
the  instruction  of  the  heathen  nations,  ''  Tonil- 
gakshi,'^  is  often  repeated.  Now,  although 
these  forty  copecks  may  not  suffice  to  pay  for 
more  than  the  dot  over  the  letter  i  in  the  word 
Tonilgakshi,  I  beg  of  you  to  accept  my  little 
William's  money  for  that  purpose.  Dear  Sir, 
do  not  refuse  it.  I  have  not  given  it  for  you: 
but  I  have  given  it  to  print  a  dot  over   a  letter 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


25 


in  tlie  name  of  my  Savior:  and   may  this  be  a 
little  memorial  of  my   infant,  for  the   benefit  of 
my  dear  friends  who  are  yet  without  Christ. 
I  remain  your. scholar 

Shagdur,  the  son  of  Kemuah. 

Communicated  by  Rev.  Mr.    Ikown  of  St.   Petersburg,  at  a  public 
meeting  in  New  York,  May,  1836. 


A  SERVANT  EMPLOYS    HER    WAGES    TO   BUILD   A 
CHAPEL. 

A  small  chapel  was,  a  few  years  ago,  built  on 
the  Barrackpore  road,  Calcutta,  the  circum- 
stances attending  the  erection  are  interesting  in 
a  high  degree;  and  afford  a  pleasing  example  of 
zeal  and  devotedness  to  God,  in  the  lower  walks 
of  life.  It  was  built  and  finished,  with  conve- 
niences which  no  other  of  the  Societies  chapels 
possessed,  by  an  aged  Portuguese  female,  a 
member  of  the  church,  meeting  in  the  Lol  Ba- 
zar chapel,  who  had  been  all  her  life  a  servant, 
and  in  the  receipt  of  very  moderate  wages,  yet 
her  earnings  seem  to  have  been  greater  than  her 
wants;  for  out  of  her  small  pittance,  she  was 
able  to  save  a  sum,,  which  she  thought  could  not 
be  better  employed  than  in  erecting  a  Bengalee 
chapel,  in  which  the  words  of  life  might  be 
regularly    preached    to   the    perishing  heathen. 


256  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

Ground  was  accordingly  procured,  though  with 
some  difficulty,  in  the  situation  already  men- 
tioned, and  a  commodious  chapel  erected;  which 
she  herself  frequently  visited,  to.  see  it  kept 
clean  and  neat,  and  fit  for  the  worship  of  God- 
When  the  whole  was  completed,  she  wrote  a  let- 
ter to  one  of  the  missionaries,  in  which,  with  a 
simplicity  and  a  commendable  knowledge  of 
her  own  heart,  she  confessed  the  struggle  which 
had  taken  place  in  her  own  mind  between  good 
and  bad  motives;  but  at  the  same  time,  renoun- 
ced all  idea  of  merit  on  account  of  what  she  had 
done.  Besides  building  and  furnishing  the 
house,  she  also  defrayed  the  monthly  rent  of  the 
ground,  and  the  ordinary  incidental  expenses 
which  attended  divine  worship. 

Anecdotes,  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc'y,  p.  210. 


A   POOR    WOMAN    GIVES    A    FARTHING    A    DAY    FOR 
MISSIONS. 

A  poor  woman  just  after  a  missionary  meet- 
ing called  at  the  lodging  of  a  minister,  who  had 
been  engaged  at  the  meeting,  and  told  him 
she  had  been  prevented  from  attending  it,  but 
hoped  she  was  not  too  late  to  present  a  little 
contribution  she  wished  to  make  to  the  Society. 
The  poverty  of  her  appearance  induced  the  min- 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


257 


ister  to  say,  he  feared  she  could  not  afford  to 
give  any  thing;  but  the  poor  woman  assured 
him  that  though  she  was  a  widow,  and  had  four 
children  to  support  by  the  mangle  which  she 
worked,  she  liad  contrived  to  save  a  little;  and 
that  she  should  be  much  grieved,  if  he  should 
refuse  to  take  it.  She  then  untied  a  bundle 
she  had  brought  with  her,  and  produced  three 
hundred  and  thirty  farthings,  saying,  that  she 
had  laid  by  one  farthing  every  day  for  the  year 
past,  excepting  those  days  in  which  illness  pre- 
vented her  from  working. 

Anecdotes,  by  Lond.Tract  Soc'y,  p.  214. 


A  POOR  WOMAN   IN    SCOTLAND. 

There  was  an  aged  woman  in  the  county  of 
Fife  in  Scotland,  who  earned  her  bread  by  spin- 
ning, and  out  of  the  pittance  thus  obtained, 
laid  by,  and  regularly  brought  to  a  lady,  in  the 
neighborhood,  her  humble  contribution  towards 
the  cause  of  missions.  But  as  she  was  now 
aged  and  becoming  infirm,  the  lady,  on  one  of 
her  visits,  after  warmly  commending  her  zeal, 
reminded  her  that  she  was  now  advanced  in  life, 
that  her  health  was  often  delicate,  and  that  she 
needed  a  little  indulgence  in  the  feebleness  of 
*22 


258  MissioNARvr  zeal. 

age,  and  ought  to  apply  this  money  to  purchase 
for  herself  the  comforts  she  needed,  rather  than 
cast  so  small  an  amount  into  the  mission  fund; 
or,  that  she  should  at  least  diminish  her  labor 
somewhat,  out  of  regard  to  her  declining 
strength.  The  reply  of  the  woman,  (and  if 
there  is  a  Scotchman  here  present,  he  will  at 
once  understand  it,)  was  this:  '"Deed  m'em,  I 
could  spin  till  the  exta  of  my  wheel  be  hett,  to 
gie  mair;"  which,  rendered  into  English,  means, 
"Indeed,  madam,  I  could  spin  until  the  very 
axle  of  my  wheel  be  hot,  to  enable  me  to  give 
more." 

Related  by  Rev.   Mr.  Brown,  from  St.   Petersburgh,  at   a  public 
meeting  in  New  York. 


THE     MOTHER    OF    A    MISSIONARY. 

When  the  Lord's  supper  was  first  administer- 
ed in  the  Bengalee  language,  at  union  chapel, 
Calcutta.  A  missionary.  Rev.  J.  B.  Warden, 
spoke  of  the  advantages  of  a  religious  education. 
After  speaking  farther  of  his  departure,  he  said. 

"A  pious  and  affectionate  mother,  who  I  trust 
still  survives,  may  perhaps  be  with  us  in  spirit. 
Among  the  sweetest  ingredients  which  are  min- 
gled in  her  present  cup  of  consolation,  stands 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


259 


this  the  foremost,  that   she   has  a  son,  an  oldest 
son  employed  as  a  missionary  to  the  heathen. 

When  I  was  about  to  quit  my  country  and 
home,  for  these  distant  lands,  she  told  me  in  ac- 
cents never  to  be  forgotten,  that  as  I  should  not 
be  present  at  her  dying  hour  to  share  her  parting 
blessing,  and  divide  with  my  dear  brothers  and 
sisters,  the  small  patrimony  which  Providence 
might  enable  her  to  divide  to  her  oflfepring,  as  a 
pledge  that  her  affectionate  sympathies  and  ten- 
der concern  would  follow  me  to  the  distant 
scene  of  my  missionary  labors,  she  said,  I  have 
a  silver  cup,  which  has  been  handed  down  to 
each  other  by  generations  now  no  more,  and 
produced  at  the  annual  festivals  of  the  domestic 
circle,  and  this  I  give  you  to  employ  for  a  very 
different  purpose.  When  God  siiall  graciously 
crown  your  labors,  or  those  of  your  dear  com- 
panions with  success  among  the  heathen,  let 
this  cup  be  employed  as  the  sacramental  cup, 
from  which  the  first  convert  may  drink  the  em- 
blem of  the  Savior's  blood."  He  presented  the 
cup  to  the  infant  church. 

Missionary  Chronicle,  vol.  2,  p.  450. 


REMARK  OF  DR.   PHILIP'S. 

Dr.  Philips,  in  a  speech  at  an  anniversary  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society,  alluded  to  a  re- 


260  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

mark  Inade  by  Mr.  Newton.  *'When  I  get  to 
heaven,  I  shall  see  three  wonders  there:  the 
first  wonder  will  be  to  see  a  good  many  people 
there,  whom  I  did  not  expect  to  see;  the  second, 
to  miss  many  whom  I  did  expect  to  see;  and  the 
third  and  greatest  wonder  of  all,  will  be  to  find 
myself  there."  *'I  have  also"  says  Dr.  P.  "seen 
three  wonders:  I  have  seen  men  of  great  wealth 
of  great  talents,  who  have  had  many  opportuni- 
ties of  forwarding  the  cause  of  God,  do  nothing: 
I  have  seen  many  humble  and  despised  individ- 
uals, but  whose  hearts  were  right  with  God  do 
wonders;  but  the  greatest  wonder  of  all  is,  to 
find  that  so  humble  an  individual  as  I  am, 
should  have  been  at  all  useful  in  the  work,  I 
take  nothing  unto  myself  but  shame  and  humili- 
ation before  God." 

Anecdotes  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc'y,  p.  189. 


THE  MOTHER  OF  LYMAN. 

At  a  Foreign  missionary  meeting  in  New 
York,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Humphrey,  President  of  Am- 
herst college  stated,  that  the  mother  of  Lyman 
one  of  the  American  missionaries,  who  were 
murdered  by  the  Battas,  was  a  neighbor  of  his 
own,  that,  not  long  before  the  death  of  her  son, 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 


261 


she  had  lost  her  husband,  who  died  suddenly, 
and  left  her  at  the  head  of  a  large  family; 
that  this  widowed  mother  had  scarce  returned 
from  pouring  out  her  tears  over  the  grave  of  her 
protector  and  guide,  when  the  intelligence  of 
her  son's  murder  by  cannibals  arrived;  that 
it  was  deputed  to  him  to  break  to  the  mother 
the  dreadful  annunciation.  "I  trembled"  said 
the  narrator,  "as  I  went,  and  I  said  to  myself, 
how  will  this  mother,  a  widow  in  her  weeds, 
with  the  tears  hardly  dry  upon  her  cheek  from 
the  sudden  loss  of  her  husband,  how  will  she, 
how  can  she  receive  this  intelligence.!  went 
and  communicated  it  in  the  best  way  I  could. 
The  tears  flowed  freely,  it  is  true,  but  O  Sir, 
what  a  light  shone  through  those  tears!  Al- 
most as  soon  as  she  was  able  to  say  any  thing, 
she  exclaimed,  'I  bless  God,  who  gave  me  such 
a  son,  to  go  to  the  heathen,  and  I  never  felt  so 
strongly,  as  I  do  at  this  moment,  the  desire  that 
some  others  of  my  sons  may  become  missiona- 
ries also,  and  may  go  and  teach  the  truths  ot 
the  Bible  to  those  savage  men  who  have  drank 
the  blood  of  my  son.'  "' 


262  MISSIONARY    ZEAL. 

A   WIDOW  AND    HER  TWO    SONS. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  James,  of  Birmingham,  Eng- 
land, stated  at  an  anniversary  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  that  an  association  was 
formed  for  missionary  purposes  among  his  peo- 
ple several  years  before,  and  that  on  this  occa- 
sion, among  the  other  contributors,  a  youth  of 
sixteen  years  of  age  came  forward  to  enroll  his 
name.  When  he  was  requested  to  state  how 
much  he  wished  to  subscribe,  he  replied  with 
some  diffidence,  "myself"  He  was  the  eldest 
son  of  an  unfortunate  widow,  to  whom  seven 
other  children  looked  for  support.  The  proffer 
of  the  young  man  could  not  be  received  without 
the  mother's  consent.  It  was  scarcely  to  be  ex- 
pected that  her  oldest  son  would  be  yielded  up 
for  the  missionary  service,  when  his  exertions 
might  soon  prove  useful  to  his  widowed  parent, 
in  her  indigent  circumstances.  The  inquiry 
was  made,  whether  the  son  could  be  allowed  to 
give  himself  to  the  missionary  cause?  "Let 
him  go,"  was  the  prompt  reply  of  the  devoted 
mother.  "God  will  provide  for  me  and  my 
babes,  and  who  am  I,  that  I  should  be  thus  hon- 
ored to  have  a  son  a  missionary  to  the  heathen?" 

The  young  man,  after  obtaining  an  educa- 
tion, repaired  to  India,  where  he  labored  suc- 
cessfully and   died. 


MISSIONARY    ZEAL.  263 

Several  years  afterwards,  another  son  de- 
sired to  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  his  brother. 
Again  the  widowed  mother  was  called  to  de- 
cide, whether  she  could  devote  a  son  to  the 
cause  of  missions.  Her  decision  was,  "Let 
William  follow  Joseph,  though  it  be  to  India, 
and  to  an  early  grave."  Her  confidence  in  God 
was  not  unrewarded.  The  evening  of  her  life 
was  spent  in  the  enjoyment  of  unexpected  pros- 
perity. 

vol.  7,  Sermons  before  London  Miss.  Soc'y. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


REFLEX  INFLUENCE  OF  MISSIONS. 


The  quality  of  mercy        *        *        * 

*****    is  tv/ice  bless'd, 

It  blesseth  him  that  gives,  and  him  that  takes. 

Shakspeaee. 


PROPERTY  SAVED    BY  A   MISSIONARY  BOX. 

"On  the  14th  of  July  1814,  the  three  brigs 
Eliza,  Mary  and  Irish  Miner,  sailed  together 
from  Limerick,  all  bound  for  London.  Early 
on  the  26th  they  fell  in  with  the  American 
armed  ship  of  war  Whig,  commanded  by  James 
Clark,  Esq.  Capt.  Clark  was  first  on  board  the 
Mary  of  Waterford,  and  after  examining  his 
prize,  he  gave  orders  to  take  some  supplies  for 
the  Whig,  and  then  to  set  fire  to  the  Mary, 
which  was  instantly  complied  with.  After  see- 
ing her  in  a  blaze,  Capt.  Clark  went  in  his  boat, 
on  board  the  brig  Eliza  Capt.  Davis.  When 
he  found  her  loaded  with  a  cargo  of  no  use  to 


OF    MISSIONS.  265 

him:  he  gave  orders  immediately  to  set  fire  to 
her,  and  when  the  preparations  were  making  to 
carry  the  order  into  execution,  (which  would 
not  take  three  minutes  time,)  Capt.  Clark  acci- 
dentally went  below  into  the  cabin,  where  Capt. 
Davis  was  overwhelmed  with  trouble,  bundling 
up  his  clothes  to  follow  his  men,  who  by  this 
time  had  been  put  in  chains  on  board  the  Whig. 
After  Capt.  Clark  observed  all  about  the  cab- 
in, and  took  away  a  heap  of  charts  and  nautical 
and  religious  books,  he  cast  his  eye  on  the 
*' Missionary  Box,"  and  asked  what  it  meant. 
Capt.  Davis  consequently  told  him  the  whole. 
He  paused  a  little,  with  one  end  of  his  stick 
on  the  little  box  and  then  broke  silence.  "Cap- 
tain, we  Americans  are  not  at  war  with  you  nor 
with  the  like  of  you;  but  with  your gov- 
ernment (please  excuse  the  expression)  we  are 
at  war.  Captain,  as  your  cargo  belongs  to  your 
government,  I  will  utterly  destroy  it:  but  neith- 
er you  nor  your  vessel  will  I  by  any  means 
hurt."  With  that,  he  ordered  fifty  of  his  men 
to  come  on  board,  which  they  did,  and  threw 
637  sacks  of  corn  overboard,  and  threw  sail 
water  over  what  was  left  for  ballast  so  as  utter- 
ly to  spoil  it;  and  when  Capt.  Clark  understood 
by  the  register  of  the  Irish  Miner,  that  part  of 
her  belonged  to  Capt.  Davis,  of  the  Eliza,  he 
23 


266  REFLEX    INFLUENCE 

spared  her   altogether  and  her   cargo:  so  that  I 
look  upon  it,  that  the  Missionary  box,  actually 
saved  two  vessels  and  one  cargo.     The  above  I 
assure  you,  is  altogether  authentic. 
I  am,  gentlemen,  u^ith  respect, 
Yours  truly, 

Thomas  Propert, 
Master  of  the  brig  Brothers,  of  Pembroke. 
Cardiff  Roads,  3Iay  17,  1814. 

The  above  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  to  the 
Editors  of  the  Evangelical  Magazine. 

Capt.  Davis  was  a  member  of  a  Methodist 
church.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  putting  into 
the  Box  6d,  his  mate  3d,  his  men  Id,  each, 
every  monday  morning. 

See  also  Missionary  Herald,  1814.  p.  514. 


LOSS  OF  A  VESSEL  THAT  MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN   SAVED 
BY  THE  INFLUENCE   OF    MISSIONARIES. 

The  brig  Mercury  of  London,  put  in  at  Wan- 
garoa,  New  Zealand  for  supplies,  March  5, 
1825. 

"On  Sunday  morning,  March  6th,"  says  Mr. 
White,  a  Wesley  an  missionary,  *'I  was  awaked 
at  an  early  hour  by  a  great  noise  among  the  na- 
tives, who  appeared  to  be  all  in  an  uproar.     On 


OP  MISSION?.  267 

opening  ray  window,  one  of  our  domestics  in- 
formed me,  that  a  vessel  had  arrived  in  our  har- 
bor the  preceeding  evening,  had  got  on  shore 
and  been  robbed  by  the  natives,  at  the  head  of 
the  harbor. 

Afterwards  brother  Hobbs  came  into  my 
room,  and  suggested  the  propriety  of  some  of  us 
going  down  in  our  boat,  that,  in  case  the  report 
should  be  true,  we  might  assist  our  unfortunate 
countrymen  all  in  our  power.  Accompanied  by 
two  persons  I  left  our  settlement,  and  I  proceeded 
down  the  river  to  the  harbor,  where  I  found  the 
brig  Mercury  at  anchor  near  the  Po,  a  small 
island  within  the  head  of  our  harbor.  The  ves- 
sel was  so  thronged  with  natives  and  surround- 
ed with  canoes  trading,  that  we  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  get  along  side  or  move  on  deck  when  we 
got  on  board.  I  was  invited  down  to  the  cabin 
which  I  found  full  of  chiefs.  Tipperhee,  the 
principal  chief  asked  me  whether  I  knew  this 
tribe  J  referring  to  the  ship's  company,  I  an- 
swered in  the  negative.  He  inquired,  ''Is  this 
the  sacred  day?"  I  answered  **Yes."  To 
which  he  replied,  "See  how  they  are  trading," 
adding  "They  are  mean  people."  This  togeth- 
er with  several  remarks  which  have  since  been 
made  by  the  various  natives  implicated  in  the 
affair,  leaves  sufficient  room  to  suppose  that  had 


268  REFLEX    INFLUENCE 

not  our  countrymen  distinguished  themselves  as 
adiff'erent  tribe  from  us  (as  the  natives  expres- 
sed it,)  by  trading  on  the  Sabbath  day^  they 
would  not  have  met  with  the  treatment  which 
they  experienced." 

On  the  same  day  the  vessel  was  seized  by 
the  natives.  The  captain  and  crew  fled  for 
their  life.  The  cargo  was  plundered  and  wast- 
ed, and  the  rigging  and  sails  cut  to  pieces, 
afterwards,  at  the  intercession  of  the  missiona- 
ries, the  vessel  was  given  up  to  the  captain,  but 
it  was  found  necessary  to  abandon  her  during  a 
storm  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor. 

Had  the  captain  and  crew  observed  the  Sab- 
bath, and  thus  proved  that  they  were  of  the 
same  tribe  as  the  missionaries,  they  would  not 
have  been  molested. 

Smith  and  Choule's   Hist'y  of  Mis.sions,  vol.  2,  p.  190. 


GERICKE'S    HUMANE    EFFORTS    IN   BEHALF  OF  EURO- 
PEANS  IN  INDIA. 

On  the  capitulation  of  Cuddalore  in  1782, 
Mr.  Gericke,  the  missionary  in  that  town,  ren- 
dered a  service,  worthy  of  record,  to  the  cause 
of  humanity.  By  dissuading  the  French  gen- 
eral from  delivering  up  the  place  to  the  troops 
of  Hyder,  he  preserved  it  from  the   most  cruel 


OF    MISSIONS. 


269 


devastation;  and  by  concealing  in  his  own 
house  seven  English  officers,  whom  admiral 
Suffrein  had  promised  to  surrender  to  the  usur- 
per, he  saved  them  from  the  horrors  of  a  dun- 
geon, and  from  all  the  accumulated  miseries  to 
which  the  prisoners  of  Hyder  were  exposed. 
He  also  maintained  for  a  considerable  time, 
at  his  own  expense,  the  admiral's  secretary, 
who  had  been  severely  wounded  in  a  recent 
naval  engacrement. 

Sinitli  and  Clioules'    Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  31. 


A   LADY   IN   INDIA  GUIDED   TO    CHRIST    BY   MISSION- 
ARIES. 

An  English  lady,  travelling  from  Calcutta  in 
feeble  health,  stopped  at  Serampore.  Unable  to 
proceed  farther,  contrary  to  her  original  inten- 
tions, she  remained  at  Serampore.  At  the  Ho- 
tel she  inquired  for.  an  English  prayer  book, 
but  a  copy  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  house. 
The  Baptist  mission  had  been  recently  estab- 
lished at  this  place.  The  missionaries  were 
informed  of  the  arrival  of  the  invalid,  and  of 
her  desire  to  obtain  a  prayer  book.  As  they 
could  not  furnish  the  book  she  desired,  Mr. 
Marshman  addressed  to  her  a  friendly  note  with 
the  offer  of  two  volumes  of  a  religious  charac- 
*-23 


270 


REFLEX    INFLUENCE 


ter.  The  next  morning  she  came  in  her  palan- 
quin to  the  mission  house  and  disclosed  to  the 
missionaries  the  anxiety  of  her  mind  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  and  added  that  she  had  been 
greatly  discouraged  from  the  circumstance  that 
she  had  no  spiritual  guide,  to  whom  to  look  for 
counsel.  Agreeably  to  her  desire,  she  remain- 
ed during  family  worship;  and  became  so  much 
interested  in  the  visit  that  she  requested  leave 
to  call  daily  at  the  mission  house.  The  in- 
structions of  the  missionaries  upon  the  sufferings 
and  atonement  of  the  Redeemer  seemed  to  make 
a  happy  impression  on  her  mind.  In  a  short 
time  she  returned  to  Calcutta  where  she  died, 
it  is  hoped,  in  the  faith  of  the  Gospel.  Her 
decease  appears  to  have  been  blessed  to  her 
widowed  husband,  who  afterwards  joined  the 
Baptist  church  in  Bengal. 

Smith  and  Choules'  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  211. 


IRRELIGION   REPROVED    BY   A  CONVERTED   PAGAN. 

The  king  of  the  island  of  Toobow,  one  of 
the  Friendly  Islands,  avowed  an  attachment  to 
Christianity.  In  the  early  part  of  1833,  he 
went  on  board  a  British  vessel,  to  pay  a  visit  to 
the  captain,  and  unconsciously  conveyed  a  very 
forcible  practical  reproof  to  the  party.     He  sat 


OP    MISSIONS.  271 

down  at  the  captain's  table  to  partake  of  some 
refreshment;  though  food  was  placed  before  him, 
he  made  a  very  observable  pause;  and  when 
asked,  why  he  did  not  begin,  he  replied  that  he 
was  waiting  till  a  blessing  had  been  asked  on 
their  food.  The  reproof  was  felt;  and  the 
party  were  ashamed  at  being  rebuked  by  a  man 
whose  intellectual  attainments  they  considered 
far  inferior  to  their  own.  They  rose,  and  the 
king  gave  thanks  previously  to  their  commenc- 
ing the  repast. 

Anecdotes  by  Lontlon  Tract  Soc'y.  p.  156. 


A  STRANGER    IMPRESSED  BY  THE  WORSHIP  OF 
CONVERTED  NATIVES. 

Mr.  Stewart  relates,  that  while  in  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  a  serious  young  man,  an  officer  of 
one  ot  the  ships  in  port,  had  spent  the  interval 
between  the  English  and  native  services  with 
him  at  the  mission  house.  As  the  congregation 
began  to  assemble,  he  accompanied  Mr.  S.  to 
the  door  of  the  chapel  intending  to  take  leave 
when  the  service  began,  as  he  did  not  under- 
stand the  language,  and  had  been  longer  from 
his  ship  than  he  intended.  But  while  he  stood 
a  few  minutes,  hundreds  of  the  natives  assem- 
bled  quietly    and   seriously    from    various     di- 


272  REFLEX    INFLUENCE 

rections;  and  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  while 
tears  glistened  in  his  eyes,  ''No!  this  is  too 
much,  I  cannot  go  till  I  worship  with  these 
heathen." 

Anecdotes  by  Lond.  Tract  Soc.  p.  163. 


A  YOUNG  NOBLEMAN  CONVERTED  IN  CONSEaUENOE 
OF  ATTENDING  A  MEETING  OF  A  BIBLE  SOCIB 
TY. 

At  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  the  Earl  of  Roden, 
a  distinguished  young  nobleman,  related  the 
following  account. 

A  man  of  the  world,  immersed  in  the  busi- 
ness  and  pleasures  of  life,  being  at  Dublin,  went 
from  curiosity  to  a  meeting  of  the  Bible  Soci' 
ety.  False  shame  induced  him  to  sit  down  in  a 
corner  of  the  room,  that  he  might  not  be  recog- 
nized. What  he  heard  struck  him  so  much, 
that  he  said  to  himself,  *'If  these  things  are 
true  and  I  do  not  follow  them,  I  am  a  lost  man; 
my  past  life  has  been  all  wrong."  He  return- 
ed home,  began  to  read  the  Scriptures  and  be- 
came a  zealous  defender  of  Christianity. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  narrative,  his  lord- 
ship confessed  with  noble  candor  and  christian 
humility,  that  it  was  his  own  history  he  had 
just  related;  upon  which  unanimous  applauses 


OF    MISSIONS.  273 

burst  forth  with  a  sort  of  transport,  and  were 
frequently  repeated.  The  speaker  himself  was 
affected  even  to  tears,  and  every  eye  beamed 
with  emotion  and  pleasure.  Profound  silence 
followed  these  plaudits:  and  a  long  interval  en- 
sued before  the  speaker  could  resume  his  ad- 
dress. He  concluded  with  a  zealous  exhorta- 
tion to 'persevere  in  a  work  calculated  to  pro- 
duce everywhere  such  desirable  results. 

Missionary  Herald,  18*25,  p.  118. 


ATTENDANCE  AT  THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT  LEADS 
TO  THE  CONVERSION  OF  THE  HEAD  OF  A  FAMILY. 

Says  the  minister  of  a  small  town  in  Massa- 
chusetts, in  a  letter  to  one  of  the  Secretaries  of 
the  American  Board. 

*'The  first  concert  in  January  last  was  the 
means  of  awakening  one  member  of  my  con- 
gregation to  a  sense  of  his  sins.  He  has  since 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion.  He  is  the 
father  of  several  children,  and  now  daily  brings 
them  around  the  family  altar.  While  we  think, 
and  talk,  and  pray  for  the  heathen,  God  remem- 
bers us." 

Missionary  Herald,  1835.  p.  313. 

**23* 


274  REFLEX    INFLUENCE 


ANDREW  FULLER    AND   HIS    CHURCH    REWARDED 
FOR  THEIR  INTEREST  IN    MISSIONS. 

"There  was  a  period  of  my  ministry"  said  this 
devoted  man  to  a  friend,  "marked  by  the  most 
pointed  systematic  effort  to  comfort  my  serious 
people:  but  the  more  I  tried  to  comfort  them, 
the  more  they  complained  of  doubts  and  dark- 
ness. Wherever  I  went  among  them,  one  lam- 
entation met  my  ear,  'Ah!  sir,  I  can  get  no 
comfort.  I  am  unable  to  appropriate  any  of  the 
great  and  precious  promises  to  myself,  I  looked 
for  light  and  behold  darkness.'  I  knew  not 
what  to  do,  nor  what  to  think,  for  I  had  done 
my  best  to  comfort  the  mourner's  in  Zion.  I 
was  therefore  at  my  wit's  end.  At  this  time  it 
pleased  God  to  direct  my  attention  to  the  claims 
of  the  perishing  heathen  in  India;  I  felt  that  we 
had  been  living  for  ourselves,  and  not  caring 
for  their  souls.  I  spoke  as  I  felt.  My  serious 
people  wondered  and  wept  over  their  past  inat- 
tention to  this  subject.  They  began  to  talk 
about  a  Baptist  mission.  The  females,  espec- 
ially, began  to  collect  money  for  the  spread  of 
the  Gospel.  We  met  and  prayed  for  the  hea- 
then, met  and  considered  what  could  be  done 
amongst  ourselves  for  them,  met  and  did  what 
we  could.     And,  whilst  all  this  was  going  on, 


OF   MISSIONS.  275 

the  lamentations  ceased.  The  sad  became 
cheerful,  and  the  desponding  calm.  No  one 
complained  of  a  want  of  comfort.  And  I,  in- 
stead of  having  to  study  how  to  comfort  my 
flock,  was  myself  comforted  by  them.  They 
were  drawn  out  of  themselves.  Sir,  that  was 
the  real  secret.  God  blessed  them  while  they 
tried  to  be  a  blessing. 

2nd  Report  of  Southern  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 

So  true  is  it,  that  "if  thou  draw  out  thy  soul 
to  the  hungry,  and  satisfy  the  afflicted  soul, 
then  shall  thy  light  rise  in  obscurity,  and  thy 
darkness  be  as  noon-day."  Isa.  58,  18. 


HAPPY  INFLUENCE  OF  A  PARTTCIPATION  IN  THE 
WORK  OF  MISSIONS  UPON  THE  BAPTIST  CHURCHES 
IN  ENGLAND. 

"After  the  departure  of  our  brethren,"  (the 
first  Baptist  missionaries  to  India)  says  the  brief 
narrative  of  the  Baptist  mission,  "we  had  time 
for  reflection.  In  reviewing  the  wants  of  a  few 
preceding  months,  we  were  much  impressed. 
The  thought  of  having  done  something  towards 
enlarging  the  boundaries  of  our  Savior's  king- 
dom and  of  rescuing  poor  heathens  and  Moham- 
medans from  under  Satan's  yoke  rejoiced  our 


276  REFLEX    INFLUENCE 

hearts.  We  were  glad  also  to  see  the  people  of 
God  offering  so  willingly;  some  leaving  their 
country,  others  pouring  in  their  property,  and 
all  uniting  in  prayers  to  heaven  for  a  blessing. 
A  new  bond  of  union  was  furnished  between 
distant  ministers  and  churches.  Some  who  had 
backslidden  from  God  were  restored;  and  oth- 
ers, who  had  long  been  poring  over  their  un- 
fruitfulness  and  questioning  the  reality  of  their 
personal  religion,  having  their  attention  direct- 
ed to  Christ  and  his  kingdom,  lost  their  fears 
and  found  that  peace  which  in  other  pursuits 
they  had  sought  in  vain.  Christians  of  differ- 
ent denominations  discovered  a  common  bond 
of  affection:  and  instead  of  always  dwelling  on 
things  wherein  they  differed,  found  their  ac- 
count in  uniting  in  those  wherein  they  were 
agreed.  In  short,  our  hearts  were  enlarged: 
and  if  no  other  good  had  arisen  from  the  under- 
taking, than  the  effect  produced  upon  our  own 
minds,  and  the  minds  of  christians  in  our  own 
country,  it  was  more  than  equal  to  the  ex- 
pense."     Smith  and  Choules'  Hist,  of  Missions,  vol.  1,  p.  189. 


THE  SPIRIT   OF   MISSIONS   CAN    DESTROY  SECTARIAN 
FEELING. 

A  lady,  who  solicited  subscriptions  for  a  Mis- 
sionary Society  in  the  town  where  she  resided. 


OP  MISSIONS.  277 

in  England,  called  upon  a  pious  tradesman,  who 
was  not  a  Churchman.  On  entering,  she  said,  "I 
wait  on  you,  sir,  from  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  because  I  have  undertaken  to  call  at 
every  house  in  my  division,  but,  as  I  believe 
you  are  not  a  Churchman,  I  cannot  presume  to 
calculate  upon  your  subscription:  and,  though 
we  are  happy  to  receive  support  from  any  one, 
I  ought  not  perhaps  to  expect  it  from  you;  and, 
therefore,  having  fulfilled  my  engagement  by 
calling,  I  will  now  cheerfully  take  my  leave." 
"Stop,  madam,"  said  he  "I  cannot  suffer  you  to 
go  away  thus.  It  is  true,"  he  added,  "we  have 
a  missionary  society  of  our  own;  but  when  I 
consider  how  long  I  have  lived  in  this  place, 
and  how  little  comparatively  has  been  done  here, 
in  a  religious  point  of  view,  until  the  formation 
of  your  missionary  society,  I  am  truly  thankful 
to  God  for  his  goodness,  and  you  shall  take  the 
names  of  my  wife  and  daughter,  as  humble,  but 
cheerful  contributors."  While  he  yet  spake, 
*the  springs  which  were  in  his  head,'  (as  John 
Bunyan  says)  'did  send  the  waters  down  his 
cheeks.' 

The  lady  after  receiving  the  subscription  of 

the  Wesleyan,  said,    "Now,   sir,  as  you  have 

been  so  kind  and  liberal  towards  our  society, 

you  must  allow  me  to  give  you  a  testimony  of 

24 


278  REFLEX    INFLUENCE 

my  good  will  towards  yours."  Accordingly, 
she  insisted  upon  his  accepting  from  her  own 
purse  a  donation  for  the  Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society.  When  such  enlarged  benevolence,  as 
this,  shall  pervade  all  classes  of  christians,  the 
evils  of  sectarianism  will  no  longer  impede  the 
conversion  of  the  world. 

Extract  from  the  speecli  of  John  Bacon  Esq.  hefore  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  Soc'y.  May,  1823.     Missionary  Herald,  1824,  p.  17. 


A   DONATION  RICHLY  REFUNDED. 

In  a  retired  country  town  lived  a  pious  and 
happy  pair,  who  were  blessed  with  a  moderate 
portion  of  the  bounties  of  Providence.  Sick- 
ness laid  the  good  woman  on  her  death-bed, 
about  the  period  when  the  missionary  cause 
was  first  attracting  public  notice.  Just  before 
her  death  she  called  her  daughter  to  the  bed- 
side, and  said  with  all  the  solemn  but  elevated 
feelings  of  a  dying  christian.  "Here  are  twen- 
ty pounds,  I  wish  to  give  it  to  the  missionary 
cause.  It  is  my  particular  desire  that,  after  my 
death,  you  give  it  to  that  cause;  and,  depend 
upon  it,  you  will  never  have  any  reason  to  be 
sorry  for  having  given  it."  The  daughter 
cheerfully  obeyed  the  dying  command  of  her 
mother. 


OF    MISSIONS.  279 

This  daughter  had  a  son,  who  became  ex- 
ceedingly profligate,  and  brought  heart-rending 
trouble  upon  his  mother.  Having  become 
utterly  unmanageable,  he  forsook  his  friends 
and  entered  the  army.  The  providence  of  God 
led  him  to  India;  there  he  was  found  by  a 
christian  missionary,  who  became  the  instru- 
ment of  his  conversion.  He  himself  became  a 
missionary  to  the  heathen.  His  mother  re- 
joiced over  the  intelligence,  nor  did  she  forget 
to  praise  the  Father  of  mercies  who  had  thus 
returned  into  her  bosom,  a  hundred  fold,  her 
mother's  gift. 

But  this  was  not  all.  A  second  son  had 
grown  up  before  the  news,  ^ust  adverted  to, 
had  reached  the  mother:  his  career  also,  had 
been  one  of  iniquity.  He  also  entered  the 
army,  and  singularly  enough,  was  led  to  India. 
There,  seized  by  illness,  he  was  affectionately 
attended  by  the  missionaries  of  the  neighbor- 
hood where  he  lay,  and  by  their  instrumental- 
ity was  converted.  His  elder  brother,  who  re- 
sided several  hundred  miles  from  him,  and  did 
not  even  know  that  he  was  in  India,  was  led  at 
that  very  time  to  visit  the  station,  heard  from 
the  missionaries  the  interesting  facts  of  his 
conversion:  and,  on  goinop  to  visit  him,  discov- 
ered,  what  he  had   before  not  even  suspected, 


280  REFLEX    INFLUENCE 

that  the  sick  but  penitent  youth  was  his  own 
brother.  They  conversed  for  many  days  with 
much  profit  and  joy  on  the  things  of  God,  when 
the  younger  one  died  peaceful  in  Jesus,  and  the 
elder  continued  to  labor  in  the  missionary  ser- 
vice.    Thus  was  the  mother  doubly  rewarded. 

Anecdotes  Christian  Missions,  p.  215. 


AN  ENGLISH  SEAMAN  CONVERTED   AT  OTAHEITE. 

Before  the  mission  to  the  islands  of  the  South 
Seas  had  proved  successful;  an  English  seaman, 
on  board  a  trading  vessel,  called  at  Otaheite, 
and,  through  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  ef- 
forts of  the  missionaries,  was  there  called  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Afterwards  he 
was  removed  to  a  man  of  war,  and  became  the 
happy  instrument,  by  his  example  and  conversa- 
tion, of  bringing  thirteen  or  fourteen  of  his  com- 
panions to  a  sense  of  their  lost  state  and  their 
need  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ. 

Burder's  Missionary  Anecdotes,  p.  257. 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS    GIVE    AN   IMPULSE    TO  BENEVO- 
LENT  OPERATIONS  IN  ENGLAND. 

''We  can  point  to  exertions   at  home  in  the 
distribution  of  Bibles  and  of  tracts,  in  the  estab- 


OF  MISSIONS. 


281 


Jishment  of  Sunday  Schools,  and  of  village 
preaching,  anc  can  say,  which  of  these  socie- 
ties did  not  receive  either  its  existence  or  its 
impulse  from  the  missionary  society." 

CoIIyer's  Sermon  before  Lond.  Rliss.  Society. 


MISSIONARY  ZEAL  IN  A  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 
ELEVATES  THE  STANDARD  OF  THE  MINISTERIAL 
CHARACTER. 

"It  may  not  be  improper  for  me  to  observe," 
says  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander,  respecting  the  Soci- 
ety of  Inquiry  of  the  Theological  Institution  at 
Princeton,  **that  in  my  opinion  no  part  of  the 
exercises  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  has  been 
attended  with  more  manifest  good  effect  than 
those  which  appertain  to  the  proceedings  of  this 
Society." 

Introduction  to  Rev.  Dr.  Philip's  letter  from  S.  Africa. 


THE  EMBARKATION  OF  A  MISSIONARY  LEADS  A 
Pious  YOUNG  MAN  TO  DEVOTE  HIMSELF  TO  THE 
MINISTRY. 

James  Brainerd  Taylor,  while  a  clerk  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  witnessed  the  embarkation 
of  Dr.  Scudder,  missionary  to  Ceylon.  The 
scene  awakened  in  his  breast  the   first  convic- 


2S3  REFLEX    INFLUENCE    &/C. 

tion  that  it  was  his  duty  to  devote  himself  to 
the  ministry.  To  the  departure  of  the  mission- 
ary are  we  indebted  for  the  eminent  useful- 
ness of  Mr.  Taylor,  during  his  preparation  for 
the  ministry,  and  for  the  holy  influence  which 
the  memoirs  of  one,  bidden  to  ''Go  up  higher," 
as  soon  as  he  had  fully  entered  upon  a  bright 
career  of  usefulness,  will  long  continue  to  ex- 
ert upon  our  candidates  for  the  ministry. 

Memoir  of  J.  B.  Taylor,  p.  14. 


INFLUENCE    OF    THE    EMBARKATION    OF     MISSIONA- 
RIES   UPON  AN   OBJECTING  SPECTATOR. 

Some  years  ago,  a  man  of  the  world  stood  up- 
on the  wharf,  and  saw  a  devoted  company  of 
foreign  missionaries  go  abroad.  "He  saw  the 
son,  the  daughter,  the  brother,  and  the  sister, 
the  relation,  and  the  friend,  with  Christian  spir- 
it and  self-denial,  give  the  parting  hand,  and  he 
protested  against  it."  These,  said  he,  are  just 
such  spirits  and  talents  as  we  need  at  home,  and 
it  is  not  right  to  send  them  away  from  the  coun- 
try, when  we  need  them  so  much  at  home.  But 
the  spirit  of  the  Lord  was  there:  and  the  Spirit 
exhibited  by  these  missionaries  was  made  the 
means  of  his  conversion,  and  he  has  now,  with 
his  own  money,  educated  more  pious  young  men 
for  the  ministry,  than   sailed  in  that  missionary 

company.  N.  Hampshire  Observer. 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Lil 


1012  01119  0495 

DATE  DUE 

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